A Nightmare in Kagutsuchi
by Makuta52
Summary: The cast of Blazblue face their greatest fears as a new terror comes to Kagutsuchi. OC Villain
1. Prologue

**A/N (or however it is you put it!): This is indeed, my first fanfic. I thought about doing it for a while, so I just thought, the hell with it, let's do it.**

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Prologue

Late was the night in the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. Most have gone to their homes, for the next day would be like the last: long and tiresome. Even the residents of the Kaka Clan would be fast asleep, dreaming their pleasant dreams.

A man walked down the streets of Orient Town. He looked like the sort of man on a mission, one who doesn't screw around.

This man, was Relius Clover.

He should have been working on his next project, but he had received a rather strange message, explaining that he wished to talk. Of course, this could have been done with a simple note, rather than sending the mangled, gnarled mess that was once one of the man's workers, but it did get the point across.

Besides, why else would the famed "Puppeteer" be walking around the lower levels of the city in the dead of night?

Relius, even though being a highly skilled alchemist, still was not sure where to go. The little note that came with his deceased worker only read, "Come. Tonight. Orient Town." Whoever he was dealing with was either rather intelligent, or really stupid. Clover was hoping for his first thought.

Suddenly, the masked man felt a chill in the air, and stopped. The street lamps began to flicker, signaling something out of the ordinary. Or poor lighting. Relius couldn't care less even if he tried.

He felt the strange phenomena coming from an alley way up ahead. As he advanced through the path, his head began to ping. Relius shut his eyes tight, the pain growing from an annoying tick, to an excruciating headache.

_Something is wrong._ He thought to himself. _That much I know._

Relius opened his eyes, and he found himself standing in a dark void. Mist crept out of nowhere and surrounded "The Puppeteer." He didn't show it, but Relius was slightly amused by this. He looked around, seeing if he could find anything, He was able to make out a shape in the distance. Relius approached it, and as it came into view, his eyes widened.

Sitting there on his knees, was his son, Carl Clover. The young child was bent over something, but Relius could tell he was upset. Carl whimpered as he looked up at his father.

"W-why couldn't you save her?" Tears fell down his cheeks as he asked.

As Carl sat up, Relius could see what his child was holding: the shattered remnants that resembled….Nirvana. Relius took a step back, and felt something under his foot crack. He looked down and gasped. The other parts of the Nox Nyctores were scattered around, as if the ground was a scrapheap.

Just then, another figure appeared from the shadows, right behind Carl. Relius could only watch as the hulking figure stabbed the young vigilante before he could even turn around, let alone know it was there. As he bled, Carl uttered one last thing.

"Why…couldn't you save…me?"

* * *

><p>Relius awoke, sweat pouring down his face. He found himself sitting in a chair, still within the alley way. A street lamp barely illuminated the dank walkway where he sat.<p>

"W-what was that?" Relius studdered.

He noticed the presence of another in the darkness right in front of him. Someone dark, menacing, and…disturbingly smart.

A voice spoke from the shadows. "I am quite impressed with your resilience, Mr. Clover. Or would you prefer "Puppeteer?"

Shaken, Relius spoke. "So, are you the person responsible for my mangled employee?"

The figure in the dark chuckled, "Person…would be pushing it, but yes, I am the one you are looking for."

Relius could not make out what he was looking at, but what he did know was the figure was humanoid in shape, much like one of the Murokumo Units. He was not certain if he should trust this….thing, or not.

"Well, you sent a message, and I came. You have my attention. Speak." Relius spoke clearly and to the point.

From the darkness, the "Puppeteer" saw what looked like two eyes opening, but they were a neon green, and came out in wisps, as though they burned like a vicious fire.

"For a while now, I have observed the residents here in this grand city. I have seen those who would be a threat to your "little operation" you and your green haired buddy are up to. I have asked for you audience because I believe I can….help you," The figure in the dark chuckled as he paused.

Relius know this all to well. The so-called "Grim Reaper" would most likely stumble upon their plan sooner or later, and others would know about it as well, if not already.

"But how do we know we can trust you?" Relius regretfully asked.

The figure, shrouded in the black of night, stood up from where he was sitting and advanced closer to where Relius sat. As it….he walked closer, Relius could hear the clang of metal on the ground. As the figure finally moved into view under the dim street lamp, Relius's eyes grew wide in bewilderment. The figure had the shape of a man - arms, legs, torso, head - but wasn't. His body was made of pure steel, but looked worn and corroded. What looks like burlap stitched together made for a vague representation of a shirt, and rope from a noose was worn like a belt around his waist. Clawed hands dangled from his gangly arms, and chains dangled from his….shirt, thing. On his belt, twin revolvers rested in their master's holsters.

Relius could not believe his eyes. The being bent down to meet his eye level, his large brim hat, also stitched up, covered his face.

"Now come on," He lifted the great hat that blocked his face, revealing his neon green eyes once more, and also revealing a skull-like mask. "Why wouldn't you trust me. And please, call me Ghaunt."

Relius watched in stunned horror as Ghaunt holstered one of his revolvers, and aimed directly at his head, chuckling as he did so.

"Nighty night."

* * *

><p>"GUH!"<p>

Again, Relius awoke, still in the alleyway, amazed he was still alive. It was now day, and he could here people outside the alley.

"Damn…it was all an illusion…." He grumbled to himself. Then he noticed a note on the ground next to his boot. Already knowing who it was from, he picked it up. It read:

_The Grim Reaper of Kagutsuchi is next._


	2. Ragna

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 1: Ragna

Pain. Ungodly amounts of pain. That was the only thing Ragna could feel as he stood right in front of the fiery gates of the Cauldron, under Kagutsuchi. He slowly looked down to find a sword sticking right through him, as though he were pin cushion.

"God….damnit…."

Ragna rose his head to the sound of giggling in front of him. Floating right in front of him was Nu, laughing like a school girl. She lifted her arms out, like she was waiting for a hug.

"Come Ragna. We can be together. Forever."

Her hands formed into chains, taking Ragna aback. They came at him, grabbed his arms and legs. Ragna tried to break free, but to no avail. They slowly drew the "Grim Reaper" back toward their master.

"No…This is impossible….you….you died!" Ragna shouted.

As Ragna finally reached Nu, the chains disapeered, turning back into the Murakumo Unit's hands. She grabbed him, hugging Ragna with such ferocity he thought his eyeballs would pop out of his head. They locked eyes, and Ragna saw something very strange in Nu's one eye: It was glowing an ominous green.

Nu spoke in a devilish voice that was unlike her's. "_There is no escape. Not even in death_."

Chains erupted from inside the Cauldron behind them. They flew at them like iron birds of prey, latching onto Nu, and dragging her, along with her hostage, with her. Ragna struggled, but Nu felt like an iron straightjacket on him. Both eventually found themselves right next to the searing heat of the Cauldron. Nu took one last look at Ragna, chuckled, then disappeared, leaving Ragna to burn. He could feel it, his life, slipping away. He became engulfed in flames as he slunk deeper and deeper into the abyss. He tried to scream, but no noise was uttered.

* * *

><p>Ragna awoke, gasping for air. He looked all over himself. He was perfectly fine.<p>

"What the hell was that?" Ragna shuddered.

He looked around. He wasn't in any recognizable location he had been to. It was a barren wasteland; huge scraps of metal and buildings laid in ruins all around him. Ragna stood up. He decided to take a look around. After taking a couple steps, he found a large piece of wood under his foot. He picked it up, dusted it off and read out loud what it said:

"Orient….Town?"

Dropping the sign in horror, Ragna looked around frantically. Too many questions were rolling around in his head. He turned around, only to bump into something.

"What the he - GAH!" Ragna exclaimed

Standing there was the skeleton of a small child, eyes burning a blood red. It pointed at Ragna, as if signaling something.

"Freaking…thing. What? Is something behind me?" Ragna said.

He turned, only to be greeted by an icy grip on his throat. Ragna knew who it was from, even if with his eyes shut. He opened them, finding Jin holding his sword toward him, but from a distance. Ragna had no idea that Yukianesa had such capabilities. The sword was literally choking him.

"Jin! What - UGH!"

Jin laughed maniacally. "Oooooh brother! You talk WAY to much! I've been waiting along time for this-"

As Jin prattled on, Ragna began to feel the ground beneath him tremble. Then he noticed something even stranger. Jin began to change, right before his eyes. Ragna watched his brother grew to an immense size, all the while laughing like a manic. The ice that strangled Ragna melted, but formed into a huge red and black claw, large enough to grab him like a rag doll. The rest of Jin became red and black as well, his eyes glowing menacingly. Ragna realized in horror that Jin had become the fabled Black Beast, and right before him. The monster brought him to eye level, glaring at him with murderous attempt. Then, with one fell swoop, through Ragna into his gapping jaw, where he fell and fell and fell…

* * *

><p>"GAH! God damn!"<p>

Ragna woke up, again, shaken and disturbed. He looked around. He was in a grassy field, the sun rising, and giving him a strange sense of warmth and realization. He wiped off the sweat that was pouring down his head and stood up.

"Was that…a nightmare? It seemed so…realistic."

Behind him, Ragna herd a familiar, but still unpleasant, voice.

"Oh Mr. Grim Reaper. Jubei is waiting to give you another lesson in pain and embarrassment!"

"Damn that bunny…rabbit…guh…"

Lifting his sword from up off the ground, Ragna turned toward the voice, knowing real people, annoying or otherwise, were waiting for him. As he was about to walk, his eyes fell upon something etched into the tree he had slept under. He read it silently:

_Others will be broken, just. Like. YOU._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well…uh. Yeah, there we go! First chapter, kinda! Now you guys might know how this story is going to go dow-**

"_What the hell do you think you're doing!"_

**Um…an author's note?**

"_That's retarded. You should be writing this pathetic excuse for a story, not wasting time with an after-commentary!"_

**Is that even a word? What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be going after - OW!**

"_Shut your mouth, or I will rip it out myself! I don't NEED to go to the next victim right away. But when I do…kekeke…it will be fun…"_

**Didn't have to hit me…uh. So yeah, thanks for reading and stuff. I don't know how this stuff still works, so…I'm just gonna…get a coffee…or something.**


	3. Noel Pt 1

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 2: Noel Part. 1

"Ms. Vermillion, please report to Major Kisaragi's room for mission debriefing."

"Wha!" Noel was startled by the intercom in her personal quarters at the NOL HQ. It was a slow day, so she had not expected a call for her at all. She had been working on her newest poem all morning, but immediately pushed it aside for her duties. Noel ran so fast out of her room she almost forgot her Nox Nyctores, Bolverk. Noel grabbed them, and slammed her room's door before hightailing it to her superior's room.

"Please be something good. Please be something good. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!" Noel anxiously thought.

Noel calmed herself as she entered Jin's room, not wanting him to think she is worse than he already finds her to be. Jin looks up at her from his notes, sighing.

"Late…again, Noel." He said harshly.

"Er…excuse my tardiness, Major. Please, tell me what my mission is."

Jin stands up from his desk, picking up the file he was reading. He tossed it to Noel, catching in clumsily. As she looked inside, Jin spoke.

"We've had numerous reports from people all around Kagutsuchi that have been having strange, disturbing nightmares in their sleep. Most have been cases where people just wake up from the dream, thinking it was real. But some have ended tragically. Five people have been reported to have been murdered in their sleep. We don't know who or how this assailant is doing this, but we know he's going to do it again."

"And you're sending me to find and apprehend him, sir?" Noel asked.

Jin chuckled. "As if you could take this guy down. No, your job is only to either locate the assailant or find any information about him."

Noel's sprit sank. Not only was Jin berating her, again, but this mission seemed hopeless and, above all, boring. But…it was something to do, and something to get her out of her room doing nothing.

"Y - yes sir, Major Kisaragi, sir. I will begin immediately."

As Noel was just about to leave the office, Jin spoke one last time.

"By the way, this seems to be a very big situation, especially with the Intelligence Department. So, try to keep questions to a bare minimum. Got it?"

Nervously, Noel replied. "Yes, yes sir. I'll be off now."

She closed the door, and ran right out of the NOL office, taking the file with her. Jin shut his eyes, and sighed. "What a poor sap, she is…."

* * *

><p>It had been five hours since Noel began her assignment, and she had gotten nowhere. She had been all over the city, trying to find out anything at all. Ronin-Gai: Nothing. Orient Town: Nothing. Kaka Village: To hard to get to, and Noel doubted Tao knew anything about the situation. Or about anything at all. She decided to rest at the Port, sitting down on a park bench looking over the file.<p>

"Huh. Odd." Noel thought to herself, "Every victim said that he or she saw a metal man with green glowing eyes. Green eyes, huh? That's not all to strange…" Noel herself had green eyes, but never thought of it to much.

Then, out of nowhere, she heard an agonizing scream, coming from below her. She quickly looked down towards the lower parts of the docks, where a ring of people had formed. Frantically, she jumped from the bench and landed on the ground below, leaving the file behind. Noel pushed through the line of people, making her way to the middle.

"People, people! I am NOL lieutenant Noel Vermillion. What seems to be the prob-" Noel gasped before she finished. Sprawled out on the ground, was the small but familiar figure of Carl Clover, her former classmate from the academy. A few feet away, standing immobilized, was Nirvana, hunched over and unresponsive. Noel dropped to her knees and surveyed the situation…or as best as she could. Without thinking, she picked Carl's limb body up from up off the floor and ran up the stairs, more concerned about Carl rather than the confused people back at the docks.

As Noel ran, she couldn't help but cry. Tears ran down her cheeks as she talked to herself. "Don't worry Carl. We'll make it, you're going to be fine!"

* * *

><p>Waiting. Noel just kept waiting. After arriving at the clinic in Orient Town, she decided to just wait for Ms. Faye-Ling's diagnosis. Linhua took the liberty of serving some tea for her.<p>

"Here." Linhua said, "It's very good. It's right from Ms. Litchi's personal cabinet."

Noel nodded. "Thank you." She took a sip of the tea, and smiled meekly, "It's very good."

It was then that Ms. Litchi decided to make her appearance, dressed in her casual clothing. Her face was not very promising. Noel quickly stood up, almost dropping her glass onto the floor.

"Well, Ms. Litchi? What's wrong with Carl?" Noel asked.

Litchi sighed. "Thankfully, he wasn't hurt in any way physically. But…" She flicked her wrist that signaled for Noel to come with her. They walked into the other room where Noel could see three familiar faces. The first she went up to was Carl, who looked worse than ever. Litchi continued.

"Carl is the fifth case of this strange phenomenon in Orient Town alone. I'm glad you were able to get him here before it got worse. The first three patients woke up around an hour after they arrived here. But Tao here…" Litchi motioned to the cat-girl, who looked like she was napping like usual. But Noel noticed she was twitching and mumbling like a mad man.

"Tao has been here for three days. I've been trying my best to wake her up, but she just won't budge. I really can't tell if it's because she's down with the same thing Carl has, or if she's just power napping. Either way, it doesn't look good."

"What about him?" Noel motioned toward the figure in the third bed. It was nonother than Bang Shishigami, with his usual dopey grin on his face.

"Oh him. He came running into the clinic and ran so fast he knocked himself when he hit the wall over there." Litchi pointed at a head sized hole in the middle of one of the clinic's walls. Noel couldn't help but giggle a little. She looked back at Carl, her expression saddening. Litchi took notice, and spoke calmly.

"He will be alright. I will take care of him here, you on the other hand need to hurry home. It's getting late."

Noel looked outside. It was darkening, and under these circumstances, she knew she had to get home soon.

"Thank you so much. For everything, Ms. Litchi." Noel said. She bowed politely, and left the clinic promptly, leaving the good doctor with her familiars.

* * *

><p>"Jeez…it sure did get dark fast." Noel made a short laugh. She was on her way back to the NOL building. Unfortunately, that meant reporting her mission progress to the Major: nothing. She sighed, but she knew that helping Carl was more important than finding this mystery perpetuator. As she walked by, she heard a noise nearby. Noel reacted quickly, pulling out her twin guns in response. But there was no one around. Just a…<p>

"Trashcan?" Noel slowly plodded up to the metal tin can, gleaming under the moonlight. She reached for the lid with a quivering hand. But before she could do so, the lid popped open, and out flies a mechanical skull. It laughs at the stunned Noel, and explodes, releasing a greenish gas right at her face. Noel falls to the ground, coughing and gagging.

"Did…did that just happen?" Noel thinks to herself before ultimately collapsing. Before she gives in, she sees a figure in the moonlight. Tall…shining….with green eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>ANs: I definitely enjoyed righting this chapter. Noel is a great character, and using her in this story was pretty damn fun.**

_"I bet you did like using her. Kekeke!"_

**Ugh…whatever. Part 2 will be out soon! **


	4. Noel Pt 2

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

(Hurray for Copy paste!)

Chapter 3: Noel Part. 2

The light above glowed enough to wake Noel from her sleep. She couldn't remember anything….where was she? What happened? She tried to move, but she felt constricted.

"S-someone! Anyone! I'm tied up in this chair here! Anyone…?"

Noel couldn't see anything past her and the light that shown above her. Just empty blackness. She then heard a clank. Then another, and another. Someone was there, wearing metal boots, or something. It moved closer and closer, and Noel could only wait until it arrived. The figure came out from the darkness before her, glaring at her. Noel gasped.

"You! You're the guy - gah!"

With lighting speed, the metal man had extended his arm out and grabbed her face, muffling her screams. He slowly inched his way to her, his arm shortening until is was at regular length. He began looking over her with his neon eyes. Noel never had seen something so robotic. This…thing was covered in metal, but had scraps of clothing clung onto him, and a huge hat that covered his whole head. He brought his eyes to match her gaze, the look of insanity burning in them. The figure shook his head.

"No…no, you are not the one I seek. You are quite beautiful, though," He removed his grip from her mouth. "Please, speak."

At first, Noel said nothing, she only stared at her captor. He chuckled at this. "Oooh Ms. Vermillion, you must not believe what others say, or you might end up a tool for them."

A flash shot through Noel's mind. "Ugh…h-how do you know my name?"

"It is one's duty to know his victim's names. What would be the purpose of going around kidnapping random people?" The metal man spoke with an acid tongue. Every word seemed to burn in the young officer's mind.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" Noel's voice trembled.

Again, the figure cackled. "Must we talk about me? It's all about me, ever since I got here. The people fear me, the NOL are hunting me, even those vigilantes are after me. Well, the were after me. But, let's mix it up a bit. What about you?"

Noel stared at him angrily. He was trying to be charming, when she knew he was a cold-blooded killer. He noticed.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Here. Maybe this will motivate you."

He placed his metal boot on the stretcher of the chair, and with one forceful push, kicked the chair over. Noel screamed, as she fell through the never ending blackness. She saw the light above her go out, and could only make out a pair of green orbs, floating in the shadows.

* * *

><p>As Noel fell down, thoughts whirled around in her head. This was just too much for her to handle. This nightmare, the man, the questions. It made her wish she was back at the NOL building. At least there no one tried to kill her.<p>

A voice boomed all around her. "Ok, so I've been doing some research…on you, of course. Let's see…hmmm…. Ah, here we go. You, Noel, love and value your family, especially your parents, eh?"

Portraits began to fly up around Noel. She caught glimpses of her, her parents, and even her friends.

The voice rang out again. "Ah, and you enjoy poetry. How cute. What's your favorite one?"

_Don't answer, Noel. You'll just be playing his sick game._

Noel could feel the irritation in his voice. "Fine. I'll give you mine. It's an old nursery rhyme. I think you'll like it. Eh-hem….

"Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday."

Almost immediately, Noel crashed onto the unseen ground. The chair smashed into pieces, releasing her. She grunted as she stood up, viewing her surroundings: A very damp, dark labyrinth. The walls were a strange dark blue, with moss growing on some of them. The ground right under Noel's feet began to rumble and shake. She dove out of the way, right in time, as…something…came up. Noel gasped.

What erupted from the ground was a huge, heinous centipede, covered in a green goo. It's mammoth head veered toward Noel, and she could see its soul piercing eyes. Two huge, red compound eyes stared at her, looking like portals into the pits of hell. It opened it's mouth, revealing millions upon millions of tiny, serrated teeth. The insect raised it's head, ready to make Noel its next meal. It came at her, and Noel responded by acrobatically dodging. She began to ran down the corridors of blue labyrinth, the sound of thousands of legs scratching the ground echoing throughout. Over the sound of the monster, Noel could hear her captor continue the rhyme.

"Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday."

Again, pictures and paintings of Noel, her family and her friends appeared, engraved into the stone walls. Noel saw them, but just kept running, knowing her fate if she stopped.

"Took ill on Thursday, Grew worse on Friday."

Noel felt her legs growing weaker. She began to stumble along, slowing down. As she rounded a corner, she stopped short. Right in front of her was a huge wall, a dead end. No where else to run. She turned and screamed. The monster insect had caught up to her, standing no more than ten feet away from her. The wall next to Noel burst into pieces. Before she knew it, Noel was constricted by the backend of the creature. She tried to break free, but it was no use. It was like fighting a battleship with a BB gun, except it was a two hundred foot bug.

"Hehehe…Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday."

As the bug's gaping mouth slowly moved over her, Noel began to tear up. _No…my life can't end now, not like this._

An ear-piercing laugh rang out through the maze. "This is my favorite part:

"This is the end of Solomon Gr-"

A sound cut the voice off. The monster stopped in its tracks and looked around. So did Noel. It was the sound of a crack. Noel heard the creature shriek. She looked in the direction the monster was looking in: up. A distinct white crack stuck out in the sky of black above them.

_Noel._

Noel heard a familiar voice. She didn't know where it was coming from, but she could hear it.

_Noel! Noel! Wake up, it's only a dream!_

The crack grew wider, spreading across…everywhere. The sky above, the walls, even the killer insect began to crack like a chipped window. An enraged voice boomed.

"No…NOOOOO! What is happening! No…she can't be here…not now! Damn her….damn her to hell!"

With that one last shout of rage, the cracks finally broke, releasing a blinding light everywhere. Noel could barely make out the monster, but heard its screech of anguish as both she and it were overwhelmed by the light.

* * *

><p>"Noel! Noel! Come on Noel…WAKE UP ALREADY!"<p>

Noel sat up, panting. "I'm up! I'm up! Huh?"

Sitting above her was a long-time friend, Makoto Nanaya, shouting at her like a lunatic.

"Finally! Your awake!" Makoto shouted in a strange mix of overjoyed and relieved. She helped Noel up, then preceded to hug her so tight Noel swore her eyeballs were going to pop out.

"Gah! It's ok, Makoto. I'm fine." Noel said awkwardly.

"Yeah, ok, sure. It sure didn't look like that when we found you."

"How did you find - wait what?"

Noel realized that they were not alone…wherever they were. On top of a building, she assumed. From the shadows behind Makoto walked out a girl, looking around the same age as herself. She wore a short black dress with golden brown lacing, and a red cross etched onto the front. She was slightly pale, and her white bangs gleamed in the moonlight.

"Hello, Noel. My name is Mariana. Mariana Agnis."

* * *

><p><strong>AN's:** **Yes! Finally another chapter. I loved writing this one. I really can't tell if I like writing about the nightmares of the characters, or the days before them. Either way, I hope your liking them. The Solomon Grundy Poem really is my favorite poem, and I felt like adding it in here. This new character will be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry, anyone who's freaking out, which I highly doubt. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Makoto

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 4: Makoto

"So, you got all of that, Private?"

Makoto was lazily gazing out from the roof of the building she was on. She stared out, viewing the sunset, thinking how beautiful it was…

"HEY! HEY!"

"Ahhhh!" Makoto almost dropped her communicator. She totally forgot what she was doing, unsurprisingly.

"Did you. Get all. The information. I said?"

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Yes Commander Kokonoe, I heard ya loud and clear. You don't have to take it slow with me."

"Really now? Than what are your orders?"

"Um…uh….sorry Kokonoe! I'm entering a tunnel!" Click. Makoto giggled as she pocketed her communicator into her uniform pocket. She continued to gaze out as the sun set. Her pocket began to vibrate. Makoto ignored it. The sun was to pretty…

The pocket still rang out. Frustrated, Makoto grabbed the tiny device and chucked it with all her might. It flew across the sky, falling into the city below. Makoto was now at piece.

"Ahhhhh…finally, some piece and quiet…." Makoto paused. "…Oh shit!" Finally realizing what she just did, she jumped from the rooftop of the building onto one below her. Then she jumped onto the ground below.

"Craaaaaaaaap! If I don't find that dumb thing, the commander's gonna flip out!"

Night fell over Kagutsuchi, and the darkness looked worse in the lower levels than ever. Makoto had searched for her communicator for hours, but with no luck. She decided to rest, taking a seat on a nearby park bench.

"Damn…where am I?"

Her location was literally the home of the scum of Kagutsuchi: Those damned by society took refuge here. Homeless people gathered together in front of garbage can fires, rats scurried across the ground, and gangs roamed freely across the streets. Makoto shook her head.

"I really need to alert the management. The NOL needs someone down here-"

"Aww…what do we have here?"

Makoto got up from the bench, surrounded by a group of whacked out individuals. They were the strangest people Makoto had ever met, and the fact that her boss was beastkin who ordered around a giant red ogre, that's saying a lot.

The leader walked up, obviously the one who spoke out. "What a pretty face we got here tonight, boys! A beast-chic!" The rest of them hooted out like a bunch of wolves.

Makoto smiled, unthreatened by the mob. "Why don't you creeps just head back to your little holes in the ground, and no one will get hurt, 'k?"

Laughter shot up from all around her. The boss tried to contain it, but was having trouble. "Ha..HA HA! Your…you're a funny little squirrel, aren't 'cha? Let's get her boys!"

As he came at her, Makoto threw off her uniform onto the punk, and then kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. The other gang members stopped dead in their tracks, hesitant to go any closer.

Makoto laughed. "Oh come on! Where did all that spirit go?" She lifted her finger at them. "And you call yourselves men!"

From behind all of them, the leader emerged from trashcan he landed in. Anger filled every word he said. "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Get her!"

The rest of them charged at her with blind rage, grunting and shouting. Makoto snickered, and began her slaughter. She punched and bashed some of the dim-witted goons with her tonfas, throwing them around like rag dolls. One creep came at her with a bat, which she quickly grabbed off of him, and immediately hitting him with it. Another jumped at her from behind. Makoto grabbed his leg and swung him right into three other gang members. The gang leader finally stood up to her, with four other members left standing with him.

"Ok then, little lady. You wanna play rough? I'll show you rough…"

Out of his coat came a flare gun. He shot it pointblank at Makoto, blinding her.

"Ugh! Get off me!"

Unable to move or see, Makoto was left helpless as two of the goons rushed up and grabbed her by her arms, their combined strength somehow exceeding her own. When she could open her eyes, Makoto stared at the boss, flipping a knife around. He came up right next to her, rubbing the knife's side on her delicate face.

"Oh…I'm gonna cut you up for beatin' up my crew."

Then, in the fraction of a second, a gunshot pierced the sky. The knife flew straight out of thug's hand, sticking straight out of a nearby wall. A voice shout out through the night.

"Let her go, or I won't miss again!"

The goons around Makoto gave each other a stare, then immediately released her from their grip. One by one they scurried back into the streets, until only the leader was left standing alone. Makoto smirked.

"Looks like I got an eye in the sky! Why don't you just, ya know, run away with the rest of your pansies?"

Scared out of his mind, the man followed in his gang's footsteps: running away like a frightened schoolgirl. Makoto took a look around. Where did that voice come from?

* * *

><p>"At first I thought it was you, Noel. You know, with your Bolverk and everything."<p>

Makoto paused herself for a minute. She giggled a little bit. Noel had fallen asleep on their new friend, Mariana, who herself smiled at it. Makoto nudged Noel, who grumpily awoke.

"What…what do you want….OH my GOD! I'm soooo sorry! I fell asleep and-"

"It's all right, Noel. My stories do seem to have that effect on people." Makoto chuckled in her own delight.

Noel smiled too. She turned towards Mariana. "So where do you fit it all of this?"

Mariana met her gaze. "Ah, yes. Well…I was the one who saved Makoto from those goons she talked about, and-"

Makoto interrupted. "Hey, I was doing alright all by myself!" She crossed her arms.

"Please, if I hadn't arrived there when I did, those creeps would have done you in" Mariana replied without mercy.

Noel spoke up in between the two of them. "Well…I understand that part. But why were you on the lower levels to begin with?"

"Yeah," Makoto spoke up as well. "It's seems strange a girl like you would be running around a filthy junk pile like that."

"Weren't you doing the same thing Makoto?" Noel shouted.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! Your too loud, Noel!" Makoto leaned back in satisfaction of dodging a bullet like that.

Mariana stood up, shook herself off, and spoke. "The reason I came to Kagutsuchi is because I'm searching for a certain individual. The one you saw in your nightmare, Noel. The guy with the green eyes?"

Noel shuddered. She still remembered the thing's burning stare. "Yes…Why is he here?"

Mariana shook her head. "That's what I'm trying to find out. You see, his name is Ghaunt, or at least that's what he calls himself. He's an escaped asylum patient, one of the biggest in the cuckoo bin. I was his parole officer at the asylum, so I knew him all too well. But not enough to know how he escaped, or why he's here in Kagutsuchi."

Noel and Makoto exchanged glances. This was some heavy-duty crap they were getting in. Noel spoke again. "So…your chasing him down…does that mean you're asking for our help?"

Mariana nodded. "Yes, I am. But I'm not forcing you to-"

"I'm in!"

"Me too!"

Mariana was shocked. "Really? That was faster than I expected."

Noel stood up quickly. "Yes. I want to catch this creep before he hurts more innocent people."

Makoto stood up just as fast. "Yeah! What Noel said!"

The snowy haired girl nodded gratefully. "Great. We'll began our search tomorrow, but for now, you two go home and get some sleep. Meet me at Orient Town in the morning."

As Makoto helped Noel down the building, Mariana turned away and stared up at the moon. She closed her eyes, tired from a long days work. But her mission was far from over.

"I will find you. You can count on it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew…hope you were able to get all of that! The beginning might be a little confusing, but I'll explain it here in three words: It's a flashback. Yeah, I hope the reader (you) got that. Good job! Mariana will open up as the series goes on, just like Ghaunt will. Also, this was just a little detour from the nightmares, but next time…well, you'll be ready! **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Update: Seeing if anyone who read this before hand, I made a couple of mistakes on my first way through (probably on my other chapters too!). So I went back and re-did some things. Nothing big. Thanks for...caring, I guess.**


	6. Carl

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 5: Carl

It felt so soft…so very soft on his skin. It felt just like…her hair.

Carl awoke, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. His memory of the past couple hours were scattered. He remembered the port…and his sister…and some noise coming from the grate next to him…then nothing. He looked around himself. He was atop a great mound of purple pillows, the same shade as his clothes.

"Ugh…where are you, Sis?"

Carl picked himself up and slid down the soft mountain, pushing pillows out of the way as did so. He eventually touched the ground, now realizing the dark corridor he was entrapped in. He took a few steps forward, scanning the hall for an exit.

"How did I end up here anyway?"

Carl bumped himself into something and took a step back. A dead end.

"Great, now what do I do?"

Then, the passageway began to shake and rumble. The walls around Carl began to crumble away slowly, but then they immediately fell down, as if the gravity around them increased tenfold. A shocked Carl looked around, believing nothing he could see. An odd elaboration of places he had recently been to created a crude stairwell. Grey winds wisped around in circles around the odd structure.

A cackle broke the silence, one so loud it reverberated all around the area. A headache shot through Carl, who placed his hand on his head in response. The headache was immense, it drove him onto his knees.

"What…who are you?" Carl thought to himself.

The laughter stopped, and a ominous voice spoke out.

"Carl Clover…I can see you have arrived."

Carl kept quiet, and slowly stood back up. He quietly walked toward the one wall that wasn't destroyed, and peeked through the hole in it. At first, he saw nothing. But then, a green mist erupted up, swirling on the inside of the staircase. It came together then expanded into the shape of a man. The mist then suddenly dissolved, and what it left was a hulking metal man floating in midair. He was large, able to spin around the inside of the spiral column. Carl could see chains dangling from his chest, and the brim hat that covered his face. The iron clad creature spoke again.

"I'm glad I was able to be acquainted with you, young Carl. You seem like such a strong child considering your age."

Carl gulped. _What does this guy want?_

"I am given the impression that you have no idea what's going on," He chuckled softly. "Well, why don't I show you something…heh…interesting."

The metal man waved his hand upwards, pointing to something above him. Carl could barely make it out from where he was standing, so he made his move then. He stealthily ran towards another structure that would block the titan's view of him. Carl realized the building he was hiding behind was one of the wall's in Ms. Litchi's Clinic: The window was in the same place, even though it was cracked. The door was there, but was obviously shut. He climbed up a set of stairs that were oddly fused to the end of the clinic. Once at the top, Carl had a clear view of what the goliath was pointing at, and it made him gasp. Suspended in midair at the top of the staircase was a cage. Within the cage were two figures: One purple and the other beige, both unconscious.

"Sis…and Ms. Kitty?"

The floating titan let his outstretched arm fall to his side, then spoke again.

"You see them up there, yes? I am leaving their fates up to you. If you can reach them without me seeing you, I will let you go free. However, if I find you…"

He turned his back from Carl, lifted his gangly arms above the corridor Carl just came from, and brought them down on top of it, smashing it to rubble. The pieces of the dilapidated structure fell down and fizzled away into mist. Again, his voice boomed.

"I just suggest you get moving quickly, for I bore easily."

Carl froze for a few seconds, realizing his situation and how impossible it seemed. Above him a green gaze passed him, blocked by the structure he hid behind. This snapped Carl back to reality.

"I…got to do this. For me…and my sis."

Carl began his trek immediately, stepping up and up the makeshift steps. As he climbed upwards, he saw more familiar locations: Orient Town was spread out in pieces, Ronin-Gai had buildings in every which way. It was like walking through Kagutsuchi upside-down. The gaze would come around every few seconds, so Carl had to be quick and decisive. He came to an edge, the platform he needed to reach was much to high for him to jump to. Scanning the constricted area, he found a ramp dangling from a rope above him.

"This is risky, but I have to do it…"

Using some seithr, Carl pulled out of a metal pipe that was sticking up out of the ground nearby. He shot it upward, ripping straight through the rope and bringing the ramp clanging down, landing perfectly. Carl immediately hid behind a wall, realizing how loud it was. The metal behemoth quickly lunged where the ramp had fell, scanning the area with violent impatience.

"Where the hell are you, boy?"

He pulled out one of his steampunk pistols, which at this size looked like a tank cannon, and aimed right at Carl's hiding place. Carl choose this chance to run. He ran as fast as he could across the ramp, and just kept running as the monster behind him shot round after round into every rock formation, crumbling each on into dust. His sinister cackle was the only thing louder then the gunshots. That and Carl's own heart, that beat faster and faster with every shot he heard. Out the corner of his eye, Carl saw the barrel of the huge pistol looking him dead in the face, ready to fire. Carl shut his eye's, knowing it would be the end of him.

"Damnit!"

The sound of clicking came from the gun. No more bullets. Carl smiled, and kept running. He eventually made his way up to the summit, able to see the cage where his sister lay motionless. Carl took a few steps back, and ran straight off the edge, landing on top of the cage. This got the attention of the titan below him.

"…Well played…"

The cage then inched down a bit before immediately falling down, aimed directly at Carl's enemy. It crashed right into his mask, fracturing it apart into minuscule pieces. Light pored from his cracked head, fazing out everything it touched.

* * *

><p>Slowly, Carl peeled his eyes opened. He sat up just as slow, wondering where he was.<p>

"Uh…is anyone here?"

Before he could even react, something busted through the door in front of him. The blur pounced on Carl…and began to lick him, revealing its identity.

"Oh! Short guy! You're awake! Tao missed you so much!" Tao seem even more enthusiastic than normal.

Carl blushed. "Ms. Kitty…that's nice of you. Would you mind not licking me for a second?"

As Carl stepped out of bed, Litchi came into the room and smiled.

"Oh Carl! I'm so glad you finally woke up. You were out for a long time."

"Ms. Litchi…I should have known I was in your clinic," Carl looked around the room, searching for something. "Do…do you know where my sister is?"

"Oh, yes!" Litchi exclaimed. "I just remembered. When Noel found you, she said you were at the docks, passed out, and that Nir - uh, your sister, wasn't moving."

Carl's face expression quickly faltered. "What? I…I have to go to her now!"

He ran straight passed the good doctor and Tao, and tore out of the clinic as fast as possible. Tao ran after him shouting, "Come back, Shorty! Don't you wanna play with boobie lady and Tao anymore?" Litchi walked outside of the clinic and sighed as the two silhouettes vanished farther away.

* * *

><p>Night fell once more on Kagutsuchi, as the innocent people of the city return to their homes for rest.<p>

Down in the heart of the city, where no lights did so much flicker, a figure rested in an abandoned building. The moon's light flooded through the huge gaping window, illuminating the figure as he sat on the top step of the alter. He removed his hat and placed his hand on his eye, feeling the pain that shot through it during his game with the young child. He took a look at his hand; a green liquid covered his fingers. Ghaunt chuckled.

"Well played indeed…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah! Another one done! I'm kickin' ass and takin' names! And I'm all out of names…lame joke fail. This one was so loooooooong. I'm surprised I even finished it. I just felt that Carl needed to shine for a little bit. The whole dream sequence was inspired by the Scarecrow levels in Batman: Arkham Asylum. So, yeah. That's where I'm draining a lot of influence from, if you can't already tell. But at least I had fun writing it! Thanks for reading! Peace be with you and stuff.**


	7. Jin

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 6: Jin

"I really, really, REALLY don't want to do this. Do I have to do this? I don't wanna, please don't make me go! Please, please please please PLEASE!"

Noel's exclamations were, at the very least, to the point. It was midday, and the three girls were gathered outside of the NOL building.

"Come on Noel!" Makoto said. "It would be a little suspicious if a member of the Intelligence Department just randomly showed up and started asking questions, don't you think?"

Noel stuttered. "Yeah…but…"

"Yes, and I'm not from around here, so I wouldn't be sure what the right procedure to ask a high ranking officer of the NOL." Mariana spoke convincingly.

"That's not an excuse!" Noel shouted. "There's a maniac invading peop-"

Makoto put a hand over Noel's mouth, muffling her voice. "Shhhhh! We don't wanna have a massive panic attack on our hands, do we?"

Noel nodded, and Makoto took back her hand. This, however, did not stop Noel from complaining.

"I still don't want to do it…"

Mariana put her hand on Noel's shoulder. "It will be alright. You two might have a rocky relationship-"

"He hates me!"

"-but that doesn't mean he can't help us. That's why we're sending you, Noel. Have confidence in yourself." The white haired girl smiled at her.

Noel paused for a minute, then sheepishly grinned. "OK. I'll do this, for the team."

Makoto jumped in the air. "Yeah! Go Noel!"

Mariana shook her head. "Didn't you just say NOT to bring attention to ourselves?"

Now it was Makoto's turn to smile sheepishly.

* * *

><p>As she slowly made her way toward her major's office, Noel kept thinking about what the man in her dream said.<p>

_You are not the one I seek. You are quite beautiful, though._

"What did he mean by that? Was he just flattering me…or…"

Noel's thoughts were interrupted by a shout that came from the room up ahead. She walked up to it, knowing who's room it was. She placed her ear up to the wall, listing to the conversation going on inside.

"Now listen here, you shriveled old prune, I don't have time to look for your stupid grandson. You want him found? Go find him yourself."

"Please…don't be so cold-hearted son. I just…so old, and I have no one else left to turn to…"

"Yeah? Well, that's not MY problem. It's yours. Now, get out of my office before I have you arrested, granny."

A long pause floated through the air. Noel felt terrible for woman inside. The office door opened, and out shuffled the old lady, quietly sobbing. Tears flowed down her wrinkly cheeks as she passed by Noel. Noel decided to act then.

"I am sorry about your loss, ma'am. I'm sure you'll find your grandson soon."

The woman turned around, and made a faint smile. "Thank you child. Bless your sweet heart, and do be careful in there."

Noel watched as she made her wait down the hall of the building and leave. She sighed, and walked into her major's office. "Umm, Major Kisaragi?"

Jin turned only to look away in frustration. "Oh boy, it's you. Thanks for returning so soon, Noel. Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to report back as soon as possible."

"Uhhh…Yeah, it must have…slipped my mind. I apologize, Major."

Jin grunted. "No need, just get out of my sight."

Noel stuttered. "But…but I need to ask you something! When I was on my mission, I-"

Jin slammed his hands on his desk. "Lieutenant Vermillion! I have had it with my unreliable soldiers not being able to grant me results. AND I have had it with people just barging into my office, begging for my help. These murders are making the NOL work as hard as ever, and it's pissin' people off. So please. Just. Leave."

Noel was at a loss for words. Jin had always been terrible, but this was worse than ever. The murders must really be taking a heavy toll on everyone for him to act this horrible. Noel took a quick bow, and slowly made her way out the room, shutting the door as softly as she could. She left the building and regrouped with Makoto and Mariana, who were sitting down on a bench under the shade of a great oak tree. Makoto was the first to speak up.

"So, how did it go, Noel?"

Noel did not respond. She continued to stare at the ground, depressed. Mariana stood up and motioned Makoto to do the same. "Let's leave this place. Noel, you can tell us what happened whenever you feel ready."

The three walked away from the NOL building in silence, and away from the negative aura the building produced.

* * *

><p>Leaning back in his chair, Jin stared up at the ceiling.<p>

"Maybe I was a little too hard on her…bah! I'm just stressed, that's all…"

He looked over his desk, which was cluttered with reports from all around the city. Jin packed them into a pile and almost got up, but noticed something hiding behind them.

"What is this?" Jin picked it up, revealing what it was: a plump, juicy looking apple. Jin cocked an eyebrow. "That old hag must have left it here."

He shrugged and took a bite. Jin's expression changed in mere seconds. He through the apple across the room and started to gag and choke.

"What…the hell was…in that apple!"

Jin collapsed to the floor, unable to get anyone on the outside to help him.

* * *

><p>Jin awoke, grumbling and cursing as he stood up.<p>

"Damn woman…now where am I?"

He roamed across what seemed to be a valley. The ground was as black as the sky overhead, and huge pillars and piles of ice jutted up from the ground. Jin walked up to one, studying it's strangeness.

"…Wait. Someone's in there…"

At close range, Jin could see a figure incased in the ice. His face was all too recognizable.

"Brother! Oh how I must know how you got in there!"

As if on cue, a chain drove up from right up under Jin, grabbing his ankle and forcing him to the ground. The impact brought up blood from his mouth. The possessed metal rope began to drag Jin's body throughout the city of glaciers. Jin managed to pull out Yukianesa and attempted to cut the chain. But even the power of the Nox Nyctores wasn't enough to even dent it, let alone destroy it.

In the direction the chain pulled him, Jin could see another figure. From what he could tell, the figure was sitting on a throne made up of the ice that surrounded the area. The chain eventually began to slow down, but went in an upwards path, resulting in an upside down Jin Kisaragi. He faced toward the figure, who chuckled on her throne.

"He he he…didn't your mother tell you not to take things from strangers, Major Kisaragi?"

It was the old woman from the earlier. Jin spat right at her.

"What the hell is your problem? Who are you?"

She stood up and began to walk down from her frozen chair until she was only a few feet away from Jin. Then, she started to laugh. And laugh, and laugh, and laugh. As she did so, her body began to expand and rip. Her shoes expanded into metal boots, her fingers ripped apart, reveling sharp metal claws. Her seemingly knitted clothes tore and fell to reveal burlap scraps and iron plating. She grew in size, her little old legs shriveling away into nothing. Her wrinkly old face tore in half, revealing a skull mask that was shrouded by a stitched up hat. Eventually, where an innocent looking citizen once stood, stood a hulking metal figure that Jin recognized immediately.

"You…you're the bastard behind those murders, aren't you." Jin shouted.

The man began to clap. "Well, it looks like we have a winner! Major Kisaragi, the Hero of Ikaruga, has done it again! I do believe congratulations would be in order…"

He snapped his fingers, and the chain around Jin's ankle vanished. Before he could hit the ground, the metal figure grabbed his throat with intense ferocity. Jin coughed up blood onto his captor's clothing, who responded by laughing some more.

"Oh Major Kisaragi, look what you did. Don't you know…"

He through Jin across the room, sending him straight into a huge ice block. The impact left Jin stuck in the small glacier. Barely conscious, he watched as his attacker lazily made his way towards him, berating him more and more.

"These are dry clean only. HA HA HA HA!"

Jin smirked, which stopped his aggressor dead in his tracks. He growled at Jin.

"What's so funny, Major?"

"What…what's so funny, is you," Jin chuckled. "I thought that the killer in Kagutsuchi wouldn't act like a damn five year old. He he he- GAH!"

Again, Jin found himself strangled by the metal figure, who stared at him with his neon green eyes.

"No…what's funny…is you, Major Kisaragi!" He pulled him out of the ice and slammed him into the ground. "Your very presence makes me sick to my stomach."

Jin could feel a metal hand grip his hair, bringing him onto his knees. The madman kept talking in his raspy tone. "Watch these images, watch your miserable life as seen by others around you."

His head pounding, Jin watched as images surged into his mind. He could see what others think of him: His brother wishes not to hurt him, or even encounter him. Noel finds him cruel, even though she keeps coming back. Jin tried to block these away, but as more and more came, it became harder to do so.

"See? You treat those who are just trying to help you like shit." The metal man brought Jin up to his eye level. "Your nothing. Just a pathetic excuse for a human-"

He cut himself off and watched another one of Jin's memories, who was still under his grip. The image was that of a red haired familiar of Jin's, one that he had known his whole life. The chains that hung from the gangly figure came alive and brought over the vision that their master commanded them to retrieve. He grabbed it with his open hand, still choking the life out of Jin in the other.

"Who…is this woman?" He inquired.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you, you freak."

Jin's response came from his captor yanking Yukianesa from his belt and stabbing him with it. It slowly began to encase his body, bit by bit.

"I ask again: Who. Is. She? And please answer soon," He twisted the sword, sending surges of pain through Jin. "I'd hate to have the blood of a top NOL officer on my hands."

"I'll…I'll never tell you, bastard!" Jin grunted.

The masked maniac shook his head. "Wrong answer."

He let go off both the sword and Jin, but by then it was too late. Ice encased every inch of Jin's body, from the tip of his head to the bottom of his boots. The two stared at each other for a lengthy period of silence, only to be broken by the only able to speak.

"You do know what the funny thing is, Major? You're gonna love this one," He brought his mask right up to Jin's face. "Her name is…Tsubaki Yayoi, right?"

Jin's eyes widened. _Bastard knew all along._

Laughter filled the vicinity once more. "HAHAHAHA! Ha ha ha…he he…Your services are…no longer needed, Major. You are relinquished from your duties. And thanks for everything. I doubt we will meet again."

With a snap of the fingers, the ground began to vibrate. Jin could only watch as the icebergs around them fell apart and begin to melt. With another snap, the figure disappeared, leaving a green mist in his wake. Soon, a torrent of water surrounded Jin. It smashed right into him, destroying the ice that contained him. Jin tried to swim, but it was hopeless. There was just too much pressure from both the water, and in his head. He began to sink, deeper and deeper, until the emptiness around him swallowed his very being.

* * *

><p>"Hey…hey doc! I think he's coming to!"<p>

Jin awoke slowly, his eyes not wanting to open. Once they did, he could see three people in NOL uniforms hovering over him, obviously doctors. Jin spoke coldly.

"What happened? Where am I?"

"Well, you see Major, someone walked into your office and found you on the floor agonizing in pain," One of the doctors replied. "But you were asleep. So we had a medical team bring you here. You were out for an hour or two. We couldn't tell what it was. You too young and healthy to have a stroke, so we ruled that out. Did you do anything that might have caused this?"

"…No, nothing at all. Can I leave now?"

The doctors exchanged glances. "Well, yes, you can," The main doctor said. "But we would rather you stay so we can run some tests-"

Before he could even finish, Jin had climbed out of bed, put on his shoes, and stormed out the door. The doctors yelled for him to come back, but Jin didn't listen. He could only think one thing:

"I'm gonna find you before you even get to Tsubaki, you son of a bitch."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ta da! There we go: Jin vs. Ghaunt. How 'bout that? I had imagined in my head that doing a chapter with Jin would be boring, but this was actually a lot of fun. Jin isn't my favorite of the Blazblue cast, but hell. Might as well do him. But I might have made him a little too out of character. Please tell me if I did, because I want to know to do better in the future.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Platinum

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing.

Chapter 7: Platinum

High in the sky, the sun shined and spread its light all over Kagutsuchi. It was like a great entity, watching over everyone and everything. Even those ravaging the garbage cans for a meal took in its warmth, feeling its comfort.

…Or, they would, if they weren't bickering whether or not they should eat a moldy sandwich.

"Luna! We can't eat that! Look! It's crawling with worms!"

The hooded figure shoved the trashy food at…himself, trying to prove his point.

"But Sena…we haven't eaten in days…and that jackass with the white hair hasn't been around at all, so we can't mooch him for food…" Luna grumbled.

"You'll never change, will you Luna?"

Sena took control and shuffled his to the end of the alley they were in, tossing the putrid sandwich onto the ground. Before taking a step onto the sidewalk, he scanned the area, searching for a place to eat. His eyes widened as his gaze fell on a restaurant nearby.

"Luna! Luna! I found a place where we can-"

Before he could even finish, Sena was interrupted by Luna's squeals of joy as she took control once more and raced off towards the building.

The small child made her way to the food court, hiding over every conceivable object as if not to be seen by anyone.

"Ooh! Let's see if we can steal someone's meal secret agent style, Sena!"

"What?" Sena retorted. "We can't just do that! What are we, criminals now?"

"No. Didn't you here me? We're secret agents." Luna giggled.

She stuck her head up from under a bush, seeing what she could nab from an unsuspecting patron. She finally targeted a spot where three other girls were sitting. Luna scratched her head; two of them seemed familiar, the last one did not. They were talking in slightly hushed voices, so she couldn't hear them well. An evil little smile formed on the little girl's face. Sena quickly noticed, and intervened.

"Hey, wait now, Luna. This is straight-up eavesdropping. We have no right-"

"Shhhhh! I'm eavesdropping, Sena! Don't bother me!" Luna obviously wasn't listening. Sena sighed and drifted off into his usual slumber.

Luna quietly tiptoed her way closer to hear the trio talk, her ear poised to attack.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Noel. Was he REALLY that bad?"<p>

Noel hadn't spoken a word since the three arrived at the restaurant. She kept her head buried under her arms. Makoto sighed and patted her friend. "Please, Noel. Did he say anything?"

Noel slowly poked her head up. "No…He was so frustrated, I couldn't even get a word in."

Makoto shrugged. "He's probably stressed out. Even more so because of that freak in shining amour," She patted Noel again. "I'm sure you've seen a lot worse out of him. You handle him so patiently, it's a wonder you don't teach him a lesson with your Bolverk." She lifted her hand in the air and made a gun out of her fingers. Noel made a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess your right…"

Mariana just sat there and smiled at them. "It's been a long time since I've seen two people ever get along so well."

Noel sat up straight. "What do you mean by that?"

"Heh…when you're the patrol officer of three nut jobs, it gets a little bit grating." Mariana spoke half seriously and half jokingly.

Makoto lifted an eyebrow. "Three?"

Mariana turned to her. "Yes. Ghaunt wasn't the only psycho I had to deal with. There were two others that were in a…uh…" She paused for a minute. "A "therapy" group, the asylum called it."

Noel thought to herself for a minute. _Three insane people in a room together? That's a scary thought._

Mariana took a glance behind the two girls. Something was poking out from behind a bush. "Hey, who's that?"

"Huh? Who?" Noel turned around as well.

Makoto put her fists up in the air. "Hey! Who's spying on us? Show yourself!"

Mariana, who was the only one with a clear look at whoever was out there, watched the figure jump and scurry off.

"Makoto!"

"Oopsie. He he he…Guess I got caught up in the moment…"

* * *

><p>Luna ran as fast as she could, huffing and puffing as she made it back to into the alley. As she ran, she checked to see if she was being followed. She realized she wasn't, and smiled in satisfaction. She turned her head, only to run into something. Something so hard it brought Luna to the ground.<p>

"Ow…that really hurt…" Luna grumbled.

She looked up. Standing above her was the obstacle: A figure in a large trench coat. Angry, Luna stood up and stuck her fist out at him.

"Hey asshole! What do you think your doing, just standing in peoples' way like that? And what's with the coat? It's freakin' hot out! Aren't you burning up in that thing?"

The figure's response was to pull something out from one of his coat's many pockets. Luna saw it as a little metallic ball. She laughed at the stranger. "HAHAHA! What are you gonna do, throw it at-"

Before she even knew it, the metal ball collided with her face, releasing a green mist that caused her to fall to the ground. The figure stood triumphantly above his target.

"Out cold. Kids these days. All talk, no action."

* * *

><p>The sound of dangling chains woke the unconscious child. Very lazily, Sena awoke and tried to rub his eyes.<p>

"What…what the?"

Sena screamed. His arms were constricted by the chains, leaving him to dangle in midair. He worriedly looked around. It was all black, nothing for miles. He tried to contact his partner.

"Luna! Luna! What happened! What's going on!"

A response came, but not from the person Sena was hoping for.

"Hey now," A voice reverberated through the shadows. "How did you get up there?" The voice chuckled.

"Come to me."

The chains above the hooded boy quickly began to move, dropping a helpless Sena farther into the darkness. He fell for several minutes, wondering if it would ever end. The chains eventually broke and disappeared, leaving Sena to freefall the rest of the way down.

The landing came quick and abrupt, giving Sena no time to react. He smashed into the ground at full speed, landing like he was doing a snow angel. After a few seconds, he clumsily rose up, dazed and confused. The voice spoke out again.

"That's better." It mocked.

Sena found the direction the voice came from, and faced it. He gasped.

"What…are you?"

Sitting on a throne of bones, was Ghaunt. He stared at the child with his burning green eyes. Sena could feel the evil resonate within the monster that sat in front of him. The metal figure stood up, crushing all kinds of creatures' bones beneath him. As he stepped down onto the ground, the clang from his metal boots sent a chill through Sena's spine.

"Let me get a good look at you, child." Ghaunt hissed.

The chains that swung from his clothes came alive, and lashed out, grabbing Sena and dragged him over to his metal attacker. Sena tried to fight back, but to no avail. The chains were like huge metal snakes with prey clamped in its jaws.

Ghaunt studied his captive thoroughly, mumbling as he did so. But then, to Sena's horror, something equally terrifying awoke.

"What…WHAT THE HELL! YOU! Rusty tin freek! Let me the hell down, or Luna is going to. KICK. YOUR. ASS!" Luna hollered.

Ghaunt took a step back, surprised by the random and instant outburst. He chuckled at this, realizing what was going on in his prisoner's body.

"I see…somehow you have more than one soul in there. Intriguing…"

Luna kept screaming. "Intriguing! You…you creep! What kind of person does this crap! You must be one sick-"

She was interrupted by an immense pain. Ghaunt struck both his arms into Luna's small body. She writhed and groaned in pain while still in the grip of the chains. After a few moments, Ghaunt pulled his arms out of her stomach, along with two huge shapes. Luna gagged in agony.

"What…what did you…do?" The chains released her, sending her onto the floor where she immediately collapsed. Ghaunt threw the other two things right next to her. Those two "things" were bodies: One was small and frail, and looked just like Luna, the other was taller and wore a yellow robe. Ghaunt laughed in triumph. "HA HA! Eh?"

He turned towards the first body he pulled out, whom began to awake.

"Ugh…my aching head…" Sena tried to stand, but tripped and landed on the unconscious Luna. His vision was blurred, he couldn't clearly see who was in front of him. "Ah! Sorry…uh…I can't see…AHH!"

Once he realized who it was, he stepped back, and slowly turned his head towards the daunting figure next to him. "What…how…who…?"

"Ugh…all the questions. "Who's the murderer? Who are you? How can you do this?" It's making me sick," Ghaunt sarcastically moaned. He simultaneously grabbed Sena and the sleeping Luna. "How about I ask some questions for a change? Like, how do you handle this little brat here?"

Sena stuttered. "I…well…you see…"

Ghaunt stamped his metallic boot onto the ground, somehow creating a huge, circular pit in front of him. "That was rhetorical." He laughed manically as he tossed both of his victims into the pit. Sena screams echoed throughout as they fell into the abyss.

"He he he…ugh…this has grown old…" Ghaunt mumbled.

As soon as he finished, a surge of pain shot through his head. A flash of red and white flickered in his mind. He placed his metal claws onto his head, hoping it the pain would stop.

"Your mind is fractured, yes?"

Ghaunt turned in surprise and frustration. Standing before him was the other one he pulled out of the child. She looked relatively older than the other two, and her yellow robe matched her golden hair.

"And you are…?" Ghaunt spoke irritably.

"Trinity. Platinum the Trinity," She spoke in a calm, collected tone. "Your mind. It's breaking apart, isn't it?"

"And what if it is? Your's would too if you were locked up in an asylum for decades."

"Heh…in a way…I was." She giggled.

Another vision strained Ghaunt's mind, this one more definable. Two figures stood back to back, both female with long red hair.

"What…am I seeing, witch? Is this your doing?"

"No…it's your mind, your visions. Your own insanity is tearing you apart."

"That can't be…These visions. Why are they torturing me?" He stabbed his finger at Trinity. "You…you're a witch? An alchemist? You must hold the answers!"

"What? That makes no sense-"

In an angry rage, Ghaunt grabbed the sorceress and held her right up to his mask. Trinity tried to look away, but couldn't. Her aggressor's hypnotic stare bore right through her. It felt like he was scanning her brain, reading her thoughts, searching for something. He threw her onto the ground and rubbed his own head.

"Your mind…so powerful. A shame it is squandered as it is," He narrowed his eyes. "Still, it gave me little information. Your usefulness has wore out its welcome, mage."

With her last once of strength, Trinity lifted herself up off the dark floor. She faced Ghaunt, beaming. "It was for a woman, wasn't it?"

For several minutes, the two just stared at one another. Trinity almost thought for a second she had killed him with her question, for Ghaunt's eyes had become vapid and lifeless. After a great length in silence, Ghaunt spoke.

"This conversation…is over." He whispered almost lifelessly.

Ghaunt's burning eyes began to envelop and wrap themselves around his body, until he was engulfed in a green flame. Trinity watched as the metal man spread his arms and filled the whole area with his acidic blaze. It began to envelop her as well, burning her alive. In her last minute, she felt pity for the man she just went toe to toe with. If he was a man…

* * *

><p>He felt something soft. Soft like…<p>

"A…bed?"

Sena awoke, wide eyed and confused. He was back in his old cloaked form. Good. He took a look around. They were no longer in the alleyway, but rather in the middle of a forest. Sena remembered this as the place Luna would follow that one man to train with his master. Under him was mattress which, even though it smelled terrible, was comfy. Sena couldn't remember a thing. He thought as hard as he could, but kept drawing a blank. He shrugged, and decided to sleep alongside Luna, who never stirred up at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Happy Halloween! Hope you have a fun one. Or so. I dunno. So, yeah. This story. I thought I could do something with all three characters here, with two of them that annoy Ghaunt, and one that…well…really annoys him. I feel like this chapter is longer than any of the other ones (except the last one). Is that good? Or bad? I'd prefer to know. **

**Thanks for reading**


	9. Rachel

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Chapter 8: Rachel

During the silent hours of night, the young girl watches her new friends sleep. The sight of the two sleeping together brought a faint smile to her face. Mariana pulled herself away from their camp, which was located on the rooftop of a building higher up in the city. She leaned against a railing and stared up into the black void, dotted with white spots. She gazed at the sight for a minute before pulling out something from her pocket. She pressed a button on it and listened.

"…Patient interview, number fifteen. Patient name…Ghaunt." The voice of a woman.

"Well…Good evening, Doc…I'm glad to see you again…" _His_ voice.

"I would like to continue our conversation from yesterday. Is that alright with you?"

"Certainly…But please, tell me where we left off…my mind seems to be failing me."

"We ended our last session with you telling me about-"

"OH. Yes…" A pause. "…I…I don't even know where to start."

"Can you remember her name?"

Another pause, this one longer than the first. "…Her name was…Elena…"

"Good. Now, can you tell me anything about her?"

"She was beautiful…Probably the most beautiful being on the planet."

"I…see. How did you meet her?"

"She lived near my home…God, was she beautiful. She was so delicate…so lovely…" He was silent for a moment. Then his tone grew harsh. "I should've known it wouldn't have lasted…"

"What was it?"

"They prodded me, day in, day out…wouldn't give me my space…they should have just left me alone…us alone…what in the hell was it there business to begin with!"

"Please, David-"

"That is NOT my NAME!"

The recorder clicked off.

* * *

><p>The mere presence of the moon peeping over her beloved home was more than enough to wake her up. Rachel took a look around. She was in her lovely rose garden, sitting in one of the many regal chairs she kept for outside tea time. However, there were no glasses of tea ready for her, nor was there a table. Just her and the chair among thousands of roses.<p>

She stood up, and made her way to the exit of the gardens. She reached for the gate door (which she was repulsed by having to do it herself), but it disappeared into thin air before she could grab hold of it.

"Joy…another bother to add to my list of grievances." Rachel sighed.

She walked in spite of not knowing where she was going. The hedges around the garden had formed a tunnel, which she walked under. The light of the moon sneaked its way through, illuminating the way for her.

Eventually, she made it to another exit, a huge iron gate covered in vines and chains. No visible handle presented itself to the young vampire, but something else did.

"What is this? A skull?"

Indeed, a pure white skull hung in the middle of the gate. Its eyes were empty and lifeless…for about a second. As soon as she spoke, the head's eyes lit up like a candle. It shifted itself so it faced Rachel, and spoke ominously.

"You're late, Ms. Alucard."

Irked, Rachel hissed back. "Who dares speak to me in such a vulgar manor!"

The skull chuckled, which made it bob up and down. "Oh…please excuse me. Maybe I should let you in?" With that, the chains on the gate retracted back to wherever they came from. The vines swayed back and forth before falling to the ground. The skull itself disappeared as the gate creaked open, but not before leaving one last comment.

"Please, make yourself at home."

* * *

><p>Rachel made her way into the foul smelling cave. Stalactites and stalagmites sprouted everywhere from within, looking like the teeth of a large creature. After walking for sometime, she came to an open corridor, all lit up by candles, giving the room an orange looking color. In the middle of the gaping room sat a figure, reading something. Rachel narrowed her eyes, and made her way to the lone person. He looked up from his book, and motioned Rachel as she drew near.<p>

"Ah. You've arrived. Please, sit down." His voice was as metallic as the amour that covered his body.

"Hmph," Rachel scowled. "I dare not associate myself with such a pitiful excuse for a man."

The "man" snapped his metal fingers, summoning a chair from beneath Rachel, which she immediately fell on, and brought it over to face him. A table erupted from the ground with another snap. As her captor set his book down, Rachel noticed the tea cups that had abruptly appeared on her side of the table. On the opposite side, a bottle of whisky. He spread his arm out, motioning again.

"For you, miss." His false sincerity and pleasantness disturbed the vampire.

She decided to pick up the cup, but very slowly. She brought it to her lips and drank it.

"Hm." She paused. "This is actually…quite good."

He chuckled. "I knew you would like it. I take pride in giving my business partners the best I have to offer."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "Business?"

"Oh dear, I guess I have forgotten to introduce myself," He stood up, showing off his entire iron body. He removed his hat and bowed, revealing no hair, as his mask seemed to envelop his whole head. "I am Ghaunt, milady."

Annoyed, Rachel glared at him. "Please, if you're going to continue to speak to me, get rid of that cheerful façade. It's giving me a headache."

Ghaunt sighed in relief. "Good," He sat down, grabbing the bottle and, without removing his mask, drank. How he did this confused even Rachel, who just continued to stare at him. He set the bottle down, and spoke again. "I'm glad we were able to get that out of the way. It was starting to annoy even me."

"I don't care about your own self conscious. You brought me here for a reason. Speak now, before I lose patience."

Ghaunt laughed. "You must realize, there's no one else around to help you," The effects of the alcohol were becoming apparent. "No one is going to arrive anytime soon and save you. So, I would just listen to what I have to say, or you might end up like your little boy Ragna here."

A small gust of air appeared in front of Rachel. It expanded, and revealed a gruesome image in front of her. It was Ragna, blood dripping…everywhere, as he lay pinned up to a cross on top of a church. Rachel didn't show it, but she felt a surge of emotion go through her. She couldn't look away from the scene, no matter how hard she tried. Ghaunt was aware of this, and snickered.

"Yeah…poor, poor Ragna. It's a real shame, truly. I wish I could have had more fun with him, but you know, shit happens."

The image disappeared, but Rachel didn't shift her gaze away. She stared at the table as though the image were still there. The silence between the two lasted longer than Ghaunt thought it would.

Slowly, and suddenly, Rachel stared up at him with soul piercing eyes. "You're lying."

Even though his face was hidden, Rachel could _feel_ the smile forming on his face. "Now, why would I lie about something so severe like that?"

Rachel bitterly stood up, throwing her tea cup onto the ground, shattering the delicate piece of china. She began to walk away, but ran into something blocking her way. It stared at her viciously, with its neon green eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk. I didn't want to have to resort to this, but…"

_Snap_. The candles lighting the room all went out, one by one, until the only thing Rachel could see were the eyes of her aggressor. And soon, even those went out as well.

* * *

><p>"Wakey wakey, girl."<p>

Ghaunt's hiss stirred Rachel from her sleep. She could hear the sounds of the ocean, for some reason. Then she looked around: She was tied to a chair overlooking the edge of a cliff, the sea right below her. The moon still shined, but glowed an unearthly green, no doubt the work of the man behind her. He spoke right in her ear.

"You know, you're actually quite cute, all tied up like this," Rachel felt one of his metal claws rub her face. Its steely touch felt cold on her pale skin. She tried to lurch away, but could not get away. "But let's be reasonable: You're like…what, fourteen? And I'm…uh…hmmm."

He backed away, searching through his own distorted mind, trying to answer his own question. Rachel then realized that her ankles were chained by something. She looked down at her feet, finding concrete blocks connected to the chains.

"Looks like someone's losing their touch." She thought to herself.

Ghaunt resumed his banter. "Ah well, whatever. I guess being locked up for too long would make anyone forget, eh?" He chuckled and turned back to Rachel. "Besides, I've already got someone lined up for myself. But that's not why I brought you here. I require your…expertise."

Rachel turned her head and stared at him menacingly. "And why, after all this you've put me through, would I help you? You're not exactly the most charming - or influential - person I've dealt with."

He leaned over her again. "Well then…I guess you need some motivating."

With one kick, the chair Rachel sat in flew off the side of the cliff. She sat hapless, plummeting down towards the sea. She shut her eyes, waiting for her time to come. But, right as she was about to hit the water, she felt something suddenly stop her. She opened her eyes, seeing her reflection in the water. The…red water…

"Well? How 'bout that?"

Rachel's reflection shifted and changed, until it was that of the metal man. His eyes seemed to shine in the crimson sea. Rachel sighed, feeling that she met one more idiot to add to her list. But…an idiot that actually does something of value, so she spoke.

"What is it that you actually want from me?"

"You've finally decided to listen? Good. Well, I need you for something." The reflection shifted again, a familiar location taking Ghaunt's place. "You know this place, correct?"

Rachel knew. A place she hasn't been to in some time, mostly due to the person in charge. "What do you want with them?"

"I require some…technical support…just in case my plans go awry. They have the means to support it," Ghaunt's voice floated through the air like some disembodied sprit. "Since you're the only one so far I've met that can teleport-"

Rachel interrupted, knowing where this conversation was heading. "And if I refuse to take you?"

"Oh. You'll die, and I'll have to find another source. And if they don't give me the information, they'll die. It's a vicious cycle until I get what I want."

At that, two huge arms came up out of the water and grabbed hold of Rachel. The metal hands dug into her skin, with no attention of letting go. Ghaunt's head popped up as well.

"And I ALWAYS get what I want."

Laughing manically, he tore Rachel out of the chair and dragged her into the ocean of red. She didn't even fight it, gave no effort to retaliate. She knew what was to happen next. Rachel found herself staring right into the eyes of Ghaunt, who stared back with delightful, but near murderous, intent. He fizzled out of his form, transforming into an alien green mist, and enveloped Rachel's perfect body, his laughs still echoing throughout.

* * *

><p>"Princess!" "Madam Rachel!"<p>

The sounds of her familiars' shouts woke Rachel up. She found herself in her own room, her own bed, with the duo right in front of her.

"Princess! You were moaning, tossing and turning in your sleep! It was awful! We tried to wake you up but you just wouldn't!" Nago cried.

Gii butted in. "Yeah, it was weird. Were…were you dreaming about Ra- GAAAH!"

Rachel grabbed the flying red bat and chucked him at the wall. Nago grew silent, realizing his mistress's temper is one not to be trifled with.

"Your idiocy! It knows no bounds does it!" Her voice began to alter, growing deeper and more violent than usual. "I gut the both of you for thinking such ridiculous thoughts!"

She placed her hands on her head, and shook violently, pushing Nago off the bed. She started to giggle amongst her pain, and then full blown laughter came out. She began to float up off the bed, writhing and cackling like she had gone mad. Gii and Nago huddled in a corner of her room, shaking in fear. The door to her room busted open, revealing a shaken up Valkenhayn.

"L-Lady Rachel? What's going on? What are you doing?"

The young vampire simmered down to a giggle, a very persistent giggle. She tried to speak to her trusted butler, but could barely make anything come out through her own laughs.

"He he he…he-help me Valkenhayn. Help mehehehe HA HA HA!"

As she went into another fit of hysterics, she waved her hand out, summoning a portal behind her. She slowly floated into it, laughing away. Valkenhayn acted quickly, jumping at Rachel and grabbing a hold of her arm. Nago and Gii, summoning up all there courage, followed suit. Rachel eyed them all down, and growled at them.

"Let go of me! NOW!"

Rachel whipped her arms into the air, flinging all three of her familiars away from her. Valkenhayn slammed into a dresser, and Nago and Gii found themselves stuck to the wall of the room. The vampire laughed sinisterly at this sight.

"HA! You've three have given me such sweet joy. But, I have a very busy schedule. I have a meeting to attend to."

She kept laughing even as she stepped through the portal. It quickly vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but the echo of laughter in its wake.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize for the delay on this chapter! The graphics card on the computer broke down, so we had to get it repaired. And I was so close to finishing! I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long. **

**But it's here now! I think this is one of my weaker chapters, even though I really do love Rachel as a character. So, I threw in some back story about Ghaunt in there. I hope it's good, because I have plans for a big reveal later. No spoilers yet!**

**Thanks for reading, and thanks for being so patient! **


	10. Kokonoe

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Chapter 9: Kokonoe

"What the hell is with that girl!"

The shouting from his boss did not faze Tager, even in the slightest. He had grown accustomed to it, actually. He just listened on as she bantered and raved. She'd stop sooner or later.

"Kokonoe, wasn't this a matter that happened some time ago?"

The pink haired scientist swiveled around in the chair she sat in until she faced her huge operative. She glared at him fiercely.

"Yeah? So what?"

"Well, it seems irrational to complain about something that has already occurred-"

Tager cut himself off as Kokonoe's burning eyes bore into him. He knew there was no arguing with her. She got up from her desk and walked towards the exit of her office. As it opened, she turned around in the doorway.

"If you need me, I'll be working in my new chamber." And with that she left.

* * *

><p>As she made her way down one of the many hallways of Sector Seven, Kokonoe grumbled angrily to herself.<p>

"She's just a private! And she has the NERVE to hang up on me? I'm her boss for crying out loud!"

She stopped walking and scratched her head. "Maybe I'm just overeating…" There was a long pause between the conversation with herself. "…Naw, I'm pretty sure I'm doing okay."

The chief scientist continued her way for some time. She passed other scientists working on other side projects and experiments. She barely noticed, she was on her own mission. Eventually, she came to a large door at the end of the hall. To its side was a keypad. She punched in a code and the door slid open. Kokonoe stepped through, and looked around, pleased. This was her new wing of Sector Seven: strictly for her own scientific endeavors. The chamber was immense, with both an upper level (which she was directly on now) and lower level. One whole side of the room was one great window overlooking the world outside of the compound. Computer monitors and other mechanical equipment were spread out on the top, where as the bottom was open for testing and the like. Kokonoe smiled as she made her way to a desk with a communicator on it. She pushed a button on it, and spoke through it.

"Lambda, get over here."

A monotone voice replied. "Order…Acknowledged…Spatial transfer…Initiating…Returning to base…"

In less then a few seconds, a faint purple and black portal appeared, as did a figure. The figure was young female, wearing a skin tight suit with other metal pieces attached to her. Her blonde hair was braided, ending with an odd sword sticking out. Her eyes were covered by a visor, replaced with one, singular red eye. She floated over towards her master.

"Spatial transfer complete…" Lambda droned.

Kokonoe nodded. "Good. Lambda, I've summoned you here to tell you what I've been doing lately, mostly because it involves you," She turned towards one of the various computers in her workspace and began bringing files up. "I've been experimenting more with the spatial power you use to transport from place to place. I'm thinking that I can upgrade your usual abilities so that when you transport, you can bring more than yourself with you, like Tager or something."

Lambda stood quietly, obediently listening to Kokonoe's speech. She couldn't do much else anyway. Her pink haired master pointed to something laying on a desk farther from both of them. It rested atop a stand on the work bench, along with other scattered equipment probably used in its creation. Kokonoe continued.

"I've created a prototype that I want to try out. So, let me turn you off so I can-"

A beeping sound blared from the computer, interrupting her speech. Kokonoe turned to it irritably. "What now?" She read the screen in disgust. "Who could possibly-"

Lambda suddenly turned and shifted into battle mode. "Alert…Outside spatial phenomena occurrence…Target formalizing…"

Kokonoe stared in the direction Lambda was facing. It was true: A portal appeared right inside her secure laboratory. But how? Kokonoe uncharacteristically gawked at the spiraling matter forming in front of her. It had an eerie green glow to it, something alien, something deadly. A dark silhouette walked out of the mist, smiling a devilish smile. Kokonoe glared at the familiar face.

"Rachel, what the hell do you think your doing here? Didn't we already establish neither of us like each other?"

The vampire stood silent for a moment before busting out into uncontrollable laughter. Kokonoe was taken aback by this. Lambda did not, and stood in her defensive position as the girl in front of her filled the room with insane noise.

"Target identified as Sankishin….Other target detected…source unknown…" Lambda incoherently spoke.

"What?" Kokonoe shouted. "That doesn't make any-"

Rachel placed her hands on her head, like she was actually being _hurt_ from her laughter. She fell to the floor, and laid there on her hands and knees like a dog. Her laughter slowly transformed into pants, until she began to breath very hard. Rachel looked up at her formal cohort and mumbled something that Kokonoe interpreted as "stop him," before passing out. Kokonoe could only blink.

"What…just happened?"

Lambda kept focus on the unconscious child on the floor. "Sankishin…immobilized…Second target still conscious."

"Huh?" Kokonoe could not understand what was going on. All she wanted to do today was test out her new invention. Now all this was happening. "This is giving me a headache…Wait, what other target?"

Lambda pointed at Rachel. She began to twitch, like she had some uncontrollable muscle spasm. It grew worse and worse, she began to roll around, moaning in agony. Then, all of a sudden, a gaseous vapor began to pour out of her mouth. It had the same evil, otherworldly shine as the portal did. It came out slowly, and spread itself throughout the top layer of the chamber. Both Kokonoe and Lambda looked around in horror, or Lambda would, if she felt that emotion.

The gas began to collect and merge, taking the shape of a human body. The head of the figure was covered by something, a hat most likely. It tipped it up, revealing a blank face, save for two neon eyes, staring directly at the two. It lifted its arms up, held them up for a short time, then brought them down with a great force, expelling all the gas that had formed it such a short time ago. Kokonoe shut her eyes, the gas stung them greatly. When she was able to see again, a new figure stood in place of the other one. His metal body covered by scraps of burlap complimented the chains that hung from his upper torso, his face hidden behind a mask. He was either a really threatening force, or…

"Hey! Asshole in shining amour!" Kokonoe shouted bitterly at the new arrival. "What was all that? Some disgusting form of torture? Get the hell out of here!"

The metal man chuckled. "Talk about bringing out the welcome wagon." He took a look around the massive room he intruded into. "So, this is the legendary Sector Seven, eh? Hmph."

Ghaunt folded his arms, angering an already pissed Kokonoe. "What? My organization not good enough for you?"

"Apparently. You're security could use some work. Meh…" Ghaunt scoffed. "Six out of ten."

This sent Kokonoe over the edge. "WHAT?" She stomped her way towards the smirking Ghaunt, and stared right into his eyes with vicious intent. "Who do you think you are, some kind of critic? How dare you barge in here - GAH!"

Her biggest mistake: She walked up to him. Ghaunt seized her by the neck, but not with a force to kill the Grimalkin. He chuckled. "Don't be ashamed, I gave the NOL headquarters a four out of ten." He began to bust out laughing, and threw her back from where she came. She landed on the floor with a thud.

Lambda saw an opening and took the initiative. She quickly ran towards the metal aggressor, and attacked with one of her many swords. Ghaunt stepped back and dodged it, silencing himself. He extended his arm out and grabbed Lambda by the face, blurring her vision and immobilizing her.

"This fight is not yours for the taking, child. Your time will come, but for now…" He shot a surge of energy from his arm into Lambda, whose muffled screams barely escaped her mouth. She stood for a few seconds before collapsing onto her knees. Ghaunt released his grip, which sent Lambda onto the ground. "Sleep."

He turned his attention to a recovering Kokonoe. "Your doll is quite cute. Can I keep her?" He chuckled at his own pitiful question. Kokonoe slowly stood up, also chuckling. This displeased Ghaunt. "What's so funny? It wasn't a joke."

"I'm not laughing at your stupid remarks, creep," Kokonoe smirked. "When you threw me, I landed right next to the table with the silent alarm button underneath it."

"…Shit."

The door opened behind Ghaunt, revealing a group of armed guards with rifles, and a certain "Red Devil." They rushed the room, forming a circle around their target. Ghaunt did looked at each one of them, especially Tager, then took off his hat.

"Aw. You brought in eight guys plus a giant? I'm flattered." He crowed.

Tager spoke in his usual calmness. "I don't know how you got in here, or who you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to surrender."

Ghaunt shook his head as he placed his hat back on his head. "No can do, big guy. I have business to take care of. But here's an idea. If you let me take what I want from your dainty little corporation here, I might actually decide against using all those nukes in the basement. How 'bout it?"

Both Tager and Kokonoe gasped. "How long have you even been here?" Tager nervously asked.

"Who cares? Waste him!" Kokonoe roared her command.

Amidst the confusion, Ghaunt pulled out his pistols out of their holsters and pumped lead into two of the guards. The rest of them began to shoot at the metal man, whose chains came to life and blocked most of them. Any stray bullets were deflected by the armor he wore. Tager rushed with full force at Ghaunt, who jumped atop his head and back and landed back by the door. Tager staggered a bit before coming back into control. One of the guards rushed Ghaunt with a baton in hand. Ghaunt made short work of him by deflecting his blow with his hand and breaking the guard's arm. Two more came at him, and he responded by blasting them down with his revolvers. Tager charged one of his fists with electricity and ran towards Ghaunt again, ramming it towards him. Ghaunt jumped from the wall behind him and passed Tager, again, landing on another guard with his metal boots. Tager slammed into the wall with a loud bang, causing him to collapse The nameless man Ghaunt stood on top of shouted in agony. He was silenced by Ghaunt's canon. Kokonoe watched in horror as her "elite" guard were being slaughtered one by one, right in front of her eyes. The last two charged Ghaunt, who holstered his guns, anticipating for a fist fight. The one on his right he grabbed by the neck with his clawed hand, the other was introduced not only to his steel-plated knee and metal fist, but also the floor too. At last, Ghaunt stared down the final guard who yelped in pain.

"Pitiful."

He spun the defenseless man around once and chucked him through the huge glass window on the other side of the room. The guard's screams of mercy and terror were short. Both Kokonoe and Ghaunt looked around the room and viewed the carnage. As he dusted off his hat, Ghaunt sighed.

"When I came to Kagutsuchi, I at least expected a challenge. And so far, the only two to have bested me are a naïve blonde and a damn child," His laughs were sinister but low. "Truly the legendary guardians of the city, eh?"

Kokonoe barely made out a quiet mumble that escaped the masked man's mouth. Something about a damn ninja and cat-girl. Kokonoe had no idea what it meant, but it didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was the masked man advancing towards her. As he passed right by her, neither did anything to the other. No speaking, no attacking, nothing. Tager couldn't do much either, his batteries low and depleting. Ghaunt strolled on up to the workbench where the prototype invention rested. He swiped it up and studied it for a second before slamming it onto his wrist. The mechanics in the small invention turned on as it connected with its new master's own hardware. Power coursed through Ghaunt like a lightning bolt to the face. Green energy began to spark as he turned to face Kokonoe again.

"Hmph. At least your technical skills are impressive. I'll be taking this, if you don't mind."

He lifted his arms up again, spreading electricity throughout the room. The mere power from it burst the great window, sending glass every which way. Kokonoe observed the sight and whispered.

"What are you?"

Ghaunt replied with insane laughter. The green energy began to encompass the electrical components of the top layer of the chamber. Computers popped up info at an alarming rate, lights flickered like fireflies. Beneath the machines formed a portal, one wide enough for all of them to fit. Kokonoe backed away, only to trip over one of her fallen guards. She was out of the portal's grasp, but the same could not be said for her personal equipment. Ghaunt eyed the scientist one last time.

"I would like to thank you, Miss Kokonoe. You have single handily assisted me in plotting the downfall of Kagutsuchi and everyone who lives there. Now, if you excuse me, I got a date to get to."

And in a flash, it was all gone. Ghaunt, the machines, the electricity. All disappeared into the void, leaving only the lifeless soldiers, the ashamed giant, and the even more ashamed and distraught chief scientist.

* * *

><p>"I've figured it out. I know his plan."<p>

Noel and Makoto cocked there heads at Mariana, who had suddenly jumped up.

"What do you mean?" Noel asked.

"I've been reviewing some old tapes I brought with me from the asylum," Mariana explained. "Its been giving me clues and hints about Ghaunt's plan."

"He had a plan?" Makoto teased. "I thought he was just a nut bar on the loose."

Mariana ignored her and continued. "In his later sessions, he kept going on and on about this girl he loved."

"Oh, he's not insane. He's just melodramatic." Makoto interrupted again.

"Makoto! This is important!" Noel shouted.

Makoto shrugged, trying to look all innocent. Mariana went on. "He kept babbling on about this girl, kept saying they would be together through hell or high water. I don't think she's living in the city, or else he would have already left by now. So, I think he's going to try something with another girl."

"Wait. If she's not here, than why would he come here in the first place." Noel asked.

Mariana shook her head. "I'm not sure. I don't think it was a part of his original plan. She probably came up in his mind at one point or another."

"OK, so we know his motives and plan, kinda. What do you know about this girl? Does she have anything we can use to track his next target or something?" Makoto surprisingly spoke out.

"Actually, yes," Mariana nodded. "Ghaunt said that the girl he loved so dearly had red hair."

Both Noel and Makoto's eyes grew. "Red?" They asked at the same time.

"Yeah. Why? Do you know someone with red hair?"

The two exchanged glances and spoke again. "We know who he's going after."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh my god! So much tension! Anyway, I enjoyed writing this one. Sector Seven was an easy thing to write about, just needed add in some action scenes and…well…Ghaunt. **

**I hope this cliffhanger doesn't murder you guys. I'm pretty sure you know whose up next though. Only a few more chapters to go!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. Ghaunt mumbles something about a ninja and a cat-girl. What does it mean?**


	11. Tsubaki

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Chapter 10: Tsubaki

Morning. The sun. Both symbolize the start of a new beginning. The start of something anew. Or at least Tsubaki believed as she made her way to her post. Everyday she came to patrol Area Number Two of Kagutsuchi, and she loved it there. It was a spectacular sight, to say the least. The statues seemed so lifelike, the plants so fertile. Tsubaki thought it looked like place that could only be seen at the movies, or in stories. But here she was, standing right there.

Tsubaki sighed. _I wish I knew what Noel and Makoto were up to. It has been so long, I haven't seen them since we all graduated from the academy._ She gazed at the wonder around her. _I wish I could show them this place._

A rustle came from a bush near her. Tsubaki pushed the thoughts out of her head and pointed her sword out and called out.

"Whoever is hiding, show yourself! This is an order from a member of the Zero Squadron!"

Nothing happened at first. Tsubaki almost suspected it to be just a gust of wind that came through. How odd of her to overreact to something so trivial. After a few moments, however, someone came out of the brush. The person was small, a child. Tsubaki couldn't make out its face, for it was hidden under (what looks like) a mask. The child wore a tiny coat and a tie, with protruding ears coming from the coat's hood. Its eyes were glazed over, and its mouth was hanging out like it was about to drool.

"A member of the Kaka Clan?" Tsubaki was confused. "What are you doing so far away from your village?"

The little Kaka pointed its little sleeved hand at her and spoke softly. "He wants to see you, Ms. Yayoi…He insists…"

Tsubaki cocked an eyebrow. Who could possibly want to see her now? Of all times? She sheathed her weapon and spoke. "Tell this 'mystery suitor' that I'm not interested. I have a job to do."

The Kaka shook its head. "You must come…he said if I came back without you…I wouldn't return to my village…ever…"

Tsubaki's eyes almost popped out of her head. "W-what?" _What kind of a sick person does this? To a child no less?_

The Kaka turned and faded into the bushes. "Wait!" Tsubaki shouted as she followed the little hooded child farther and farther away from her post.

* * *

><p><em>Outside the NOL building…<em>

"What's taking her?" Noel had her arms crossed. She was worried, but only by a bit.

Mariana shrugged. "I'm not sure. She's been in there for twenty-"

From behind them came a interruptive, but familiar voice. "I'm here!"

"-minutes."

Makoto walked out triumphantly. "I got what we needed."

"You got Tsubaki's schedule?" Noel asked.

Makoto pulled out a folder from behind her and waved it happily. "It took some convincing, but I got it."

"You were in there for a long time. What did you do in there that took so long?" Mariana inquired.

Makoto smirked and smiled fiendishly. "Men are so easy to distract." She wiggled her breasts to prove her point. Noel lower her head and made a quiet whining sound. Mariana shook her head, and began to walk away.

"Let's just go. We need to get to Tsubaki before Ghaunt does anything…serious."

Makoto and Noel exchanged glances. "W-what could he do to her?" Noel nervously asked.

Mariana turned around. "He's unpredictable. Even I don't know what his plan is now…"

As she turned, Mariana whispered to herself. "But I've got a damn good idea…"

* * *

><p>Tsubaki had so many emotions racing through her mind that she thought she would go insane. She felt anger towards the person that she was being led to, but also worry and concern about who this person will be, and the fate of the poor child that she aimlessly followed. The Kaka had not spoken since they began to walk, adding to Tsubaki's worry. Many minutes past as the two walked in silence. A large hedge came into view, hiding whatever was behind if from their view. The small toddler turned, speaking in a quiet, monotone voice.<p>

"Just over here…"

Tsubaki watched as the Kaka walk through the thick bush, disappearing into it. Tsubaki wanted to call out, but thought it to be no point. She decided to follow suit. As she was about to go through the hedge, the huge plant began to shake. Tsubaki took a few steps back, and gawked at it.

"W-what is it doing?" Tsubaki watched as it shook violently. Leaves and vines fell all around her. The hedge ended its rampage after a moment, after which it began to part as if a blade had cut through it. It was particularly bright on the other side, it blinded Tsubaki for a moment. She could barely see, but went through the parted plant confidently. She had to confront whoever was on the other side.

As she regained her sight, Tsubaki viewed her new surroundings. Bushes covered the area in a circle, with flowers dotting most of them. It felt like she was in a fairytale. In the middle of the circle was an elegant table, covered in a regal table cloth. An equally regal chair sat by itself on one side of the table. Opposite of it was another chair, this one occupied by the strangest looking person Tsubaki had ever seen. His body of metal gleamed in the light despite it being slightly rusted and covered in spare pieces of clothe. His mask was poorly covered by his hat, revealing the white skull pattern and neon eyes. On his knee rested the Kaka, who stared back at him blankly. Tsubaki could hear his whispers.

"Thank you, child. You may return home."

He gently lifted the small cat-girl off his iron knee and onto the soft grass, who slowly made her way past Tsubaki without giving either of them a second glance. Tsubaki was too busy watching the Kaka walk off that she didn't realize the man was speaking to her.

"You finally came. After all this time, I get to see you in person."

Tsubaki frowned and drew her sword out. "You. Who are you? What right do you have to abduct an innocent child and use her as a messenger? As a soldier of the Librarium, I'm placing you under…"

She stopped herself, finding that the metal man was lost in a gaze. A gaze directed at Tsubaki. "Hey! Are you even paying attention!"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry…I was lost in your beautiful eyes and magnificent voice."

Tsubaki stared at him awkwardly for a moment, before becoming serious once more. "That's very…kind, of you. But, it won't stop me from arresting you - Hey!"

As she had began stepping towards him, the masked man flicked his hand out and snapped. The sword in her hand flew out of her grasp, as did her shield. Both floated into the gaping metal hand that called them forth, and were immediately laid down on the ground. The man continued.

"I don't feel like fighting right now…I just got back from a meeting and I'm plenty tired. Why don't we…uh…" His speech began to break. Tsubaki had no idea why. Once he regained his senses, he began to speak again. "Yeah! Here, have a seat. I stol- uhh - "bought" this specifically for our meeting today."

Under the mask, Tsubaki could see a sheepish smile forming. She had no idea what this guy's problem was, but she wasn't going to take it. She sighed. "Fine. You win, you creep. I'll stay and listen to what you have to say if you just give me back Izayoi."

His neon green eyes lit up like fireworks. "Oh! Splendid! Please take a seat." Tsubaki cautiously made her way to the other seat. The look on her face got her host's attention. "Please, Ms. Yayoi…don't be so agitated. I'm not going to harm you."

Now it was Tsubaki's turn for her eyes to light up. "How…how do you know my name? Who are you?"

"Oh…I apologize…where are my manners. I am Ghaunt…surely you've heard of me before."

Tsubaki frowned. Yes, she had heard of him. She had heard his name during a report given back at the Librarium. "You're the murderer that's been running wild in Kagutsuchi."

Ghaunt waved his hand around. "'Murderer' sounds so…primitive. I'm just a guy with goals. One of which led to you! Why don't we talk about you, rather than me?"

Tsubaki didn't want to change the subject, much less stay here. But she saw the insane look in the metal man's eye, and decided not to agitate him. She spoke.

"Well…what do you know about me? If you've waited so long to meet me, surely you've done some sort of data collection. Am I right?"

Ghaunt chuckled. "Your as smart as you look, Ms. Yayoi. Yes…I've done my homework. You're a distinguished member of the Yayoi dynasty, a grade A graduate from the NOL Military Academy, and you're a member of the Zero Squadron- GOD your beautiful!"

Ghaunt covered his mouth. Tsubaki would have blushed at such a remark, if it had came from a decent and sane person. Under his breath Ghaunt whispered, "Did I say that out loud?" He composed himself and spoke aloud once more. "Ahem. Excuse my interruption. I was, heh, never too well at speaking towards-"

"Women?" Tsubaki finished. Her host shook his head. "Who are you REALLY?" Tsubaki inquired in a serious tone.

Ghaunt was silent for a moment before answering. "I'd rather not talk about myself, really. My life is…just one great sob story."

"Enlighten me, Mr. Ghaunt. I'm into dramas like this."

"You're sarcasm will do you no good, Ms. Yayoi. I'd rather learn more about you."

In her mind, an idea presented itself to Tsubaki. _This is probably risky, not to mention downright stupid, but let's see what happens…_

Tsubaki shrugged. "Suit yourself. I bet its as sad and pathetic as the rest of the insane folk around here."

She expected an insane rampage, an attempt at her life at best. However, the iron clad man on the other side of the table barely twitched. He merely lowered his head, his hat concealing his already covered face. An odd silence stretched between the two individuals. Suddenly, Ghaunt rose his head and quietly spoke.

"You truly ARE the one I've been searching for…"

His confusing speech irritated Tsubaki. She shouted at him. "What does that mean? How long have you've been looking for me?"

Ghaunt rose from the table and slowly starting pacing around the middle of the garden, bantering as he did so. "Your personalities are almost exactly perfect…your hair is a bit to bright, but I can work around that…yes…yes…yes yes yes yes YES!"

He sporadically shouted and triumphantly rose his arms up in the air like he had one the lottery. Tsubaki watched as he came over and, without warning, grabbed hold of her hands. His metal touched was cold, no warmth whatsoever. She looked directly at his green eyes as he spoke.

"Finally…I've found the perfect match!"

Tsubaki wanted to let go, get free of his grasp. But his stare was so hypnotic, so inducing…She couldn't look away.

A voice from behind the two cut through the air like an icy blade.

"Get your damn hands off her, you bastard!

Ghaunt released his grasp and gaze from Tsubaki and turned around, and Tsubaki was able to see her savior. His blonde hair blew in the breeze, the hedge behind him cut in half. His sword gleamed just as Ghaunt's armor had, but was much more delicate.

"Jin!" Tsubaki shouted.

Ghaunt slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes filled with anger and irritation. "You don't know when to give up, do you kid?"

The major pointed his sword at the gangly masked man. "Piss off, circus clown. Just back off from Tsubaki, and get out of here. I should gut you for the last time we met. But I'd rather avoid violence…for now."

"How did find us? No one could have tipped you off…except…" Ghaunt's eyes grew even more hate filled. "It was that kid! She told you, didn't she?"

Jin nodded. "I already knew Tsubaki's work schedule. She's vigilant, and always stays at her post. So, when I found a small Kaka walking past her usual work area, I knew something was up." He snickered. "After that it was easy to find you. Also, you made enough noise to raise the dead, so that also tipped me off."

"ENOUGH!" Ghaunt screamed in rage. He charged at Jin, his claws itching to kill. Jin swung his sword out, sending three smaller spears made out of ice towards his attacker. One made contact with the target, but was merely an annoyance to Ghaunt. The other two were blocked by the metal chains that had came alive to aid there master. Once he became in range, Ghaunt punched his foe in the face, sending Jin to the ground. Tsubaki gasped in terror. Jin tried to get up, but Ghaunt denied him this luxury with a swift kick in the stomach, sending Jin sprawling back to the ground.

Ghaunt slowly made his way towards the fallen major, but found felt someone tugging him from behind. He looked behind himself to find Tsubaki holding onto the back of the only bit of clothing he was wearing. He looked at her, then back to Jin, who was still on the ground, then back to Tsubaki. He sighed, and quickly spun around, forcing Tsubaki to release her grasp on his burlap clothing. She tried to punch him, but Ghaunt was to quick and grabbed her arm before it made contact with his face. His eyes widened as he found Tsubaki fall to the ground, hand on her face, crying. Ghaunt stood stunned, not able to comprehend what was happening. He released his grip from her, watching the red haired maiden weep. Ghaunt stared at her for a moment, then turned to watch Jin struggle to get up. It was then that he understood everything…

"You…you love him, don't you?" He whispered.

Tsubaki had calmed down, her crying reduced to whimpers. She didn't look up, didn't make any movements. But Ghaunt knew. Ghaunt knew her feelings. He said nothing as he pulled out something from his metal body. He dropped it as he turned and trudged his way to Jin, who had picked himself up off the ground. The object fell in front of Tsubaki and released a green gas that quickly spread everywhere, causing Tsubaki to fall. As her eyes closed, the last thing she saw was her former host grabbing a hold of Jin and tossing him into the air. Then, she was asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Nearing the end here people! Only a few more chapters before the end of this fic. I can understand if any, if not all, of you guys are confused on this one. To be honest, that's the reaction I'm looking for. That's how Ghaunt works, baby! **

**(Did that come out loud?)**

**But don't worry, everything will be explained in the next chapter. I promise.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! **

**(Yeah, I know I'm late. Sue me.)**


	12. Ghaunt

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Chapter 11: Ghaunt

Tsubaki woke with a start. Her vision was blurred, as if she had been using the Izayoi too much again. She had yet to understand why that happened. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up. When her vision regained, Tsubaki looked around. Nothing was around. She turned. Nothing. Just an endless landscape of white.

"W-what is this?" Tsubaki asked herself.

A voice from behind her answered, startling her. "In his world."

Tsubaki turned in the direction of the voice. Behind her stood two girls, about her age, looking exactly alike. They wore long decorative robes, one green and one purple. Their hair was long and brown, with a tinge of gold, and their skin was a bit whiter then Tsubaki's. The one in green, who also wore glasses, spoke again.

"He dragged you into his world. Or…really, he dragged _his_ world into _your _mind."

Tsubaki looked back and forth between the two. "Ok…I don't know how that works, but…who are you two?"

The one in purple responded. "We're one of Ghaunt's own memories. We had a large impact on his life back when he was…uhh…human."

Her double spoke again. "He kept us in his mind, but are very presence slowly distorted it, as you can probably tell already."

Tsubaki knew well enough. "He…Ghaunt, that's his name, right?"

Both of the girls nodded simultaneously. "That's what he calls himself. He could never cope with his real name, for some reason. It drove him mad, so he changed it." The girl in purple smirked. "He was always loopy like that anyway."

"What was his real name?" Tsubaki asked.

The glasses-wearing girl, who had finished rubbing her head from the other's remark, answered. "His real name was David."

"David…he said I was 'the one he was searching for.' What does he mean by that?"

The two girls, who Tsubaki had come to the conclusion that they were twins, exchanged glances. Their faces were ones of worry, which did not ease Tsubaki. They began to whisper to one another. Tsubaki could only hear bits and pieces of their secret conversation.

"She has red hair, just like…!"

"You don't think I know that…"

"What is…gonna do?"

Tsubaki grew impatient, and coughed aloud, disrupting the twins private meeting. Tsubaki waved at them.

"Hey, I'm kinda right here. You two going to tell me what you were talking about, or are you going to leave me in the dark?"

The two regained their postures, the one in green fixing her glasses. The other spoke calmly.

"You mustn't worry, or he will become…errr…agitated. He doesn't know that we're having this little meeting here, but he will be coming soon."

Tsubaki listened carefully as second one picked up where her sister left off. "He has an incredibly broken mind. He may be insane, but he's also very easy to con and trick."

The white background began to shake, interrupting the three of the ladies. Darkness began to spread over, and the twins began to fizzle and fade.

"Wait!" Tsubaki shouted out. "I still don't know what to do!"

As they evaporated away, the two robed girls left one final message. "Listen to what he has to say. Then, when an opening presents itself, take action…"

Tsubaki stood in the darkness, her sapphire eyes the only visible light in the empty void. She scowled at her aids last comment.

_Why can't people ever just say anything anymore? Why does it have to be in some cryptic metaphor!_

Suddenly, Tsubaki felt herself falling. A gap had opened from under her. Tsubaki shut her eyes and waited. She knew where she was headed: To Ghaunt.

* * *

><p>Her white clothes fluttered as she landed from her immense fall. Tsubaki looked around. A building stood in the middle of a field, an odd sight indeed. The sun was out, giving light to the whole area. Tsubaki decided to make her way to the massive structure in the distance. The place was so quiet, so serene, so peaceful. Tsubaki knew it wouldn't last long. She began to notice the closer she got to the building that things began to change. Dark grey clouds began to cover the sky, the grass turned a sickly withered brown, and the building itself began to show signs of decay as she walked up to it. Cracks and moss showed off its age, its deterioration. As Tsubaki came up to the entrance of the place, which appeared to be a school, a voice boomed from all around her.<p>

"So. You enjoy dramas, eh, Ms. Yayoi? I'm pretty sure you've seen enough of them to understand mine…right?"

Tsubaki was not stirred by Ghaunt's ranting. She pushed on the double doors, which swung open, revealing a long hallway. Tsubaki slowly stepped into the hall, which seemed to have no life within it at all. Just endless rows of decrepit lockers. The voice spoke out once more.

"I never liked this place…too many people, too much noise. But…there I was, stuck in this shit-hole of a school…"

Farther along the hall Tsubaki could make out something. They looked humanoid, but were oddly colored. On closer inspection they revealed to be nothing more but wisps of air shaped in human form. Each was a separate color: one blue, one brown, one pink, one yellow. Two others who were shaded purple and a light green gave off a familiar aura to Tsubaki.

"Yes…those were my…friends, I suppose," Ghaunt's voice was low. "They never really understood either…except maybe two of them."

_I doubt that_. Tsubaki said to herself.

From around a corner rounded another figure. Tsubaki froze when she saw it. It was taller then the other ones by an inch or two. It had a dark green shade to it, but Tsubaki could see a black aura radiating inside its body.

"There he is! The man of the hour…ME." The acid tongued voice boasted proudly. Tsubaki watched as the newcomer joined the others. She couldn't make out anything else from that point. The forms had no faces, just glowing heads of their respective colors. She guessed that that was the point.

A bell began to rang, startling Tsubaki. In seconds, doors around her sprung open, revealing other ghostly looking figures. These ones had no color, unless stale grey was considered a color. They walked (more like floated, to Tsubaki) around the hallway, passing right through her. They obviously didn't see her. She watched from afar as the group broke up, save for one: the dark green one. Tsubaki couldn't tell, but it looked as though he was staring right at her.

"There…there she is…"

Tsubaki heard the voice right before a rush of warmth came over her. It felt comforting and inviting, like she was back at the Academy. She looked in front of her. One of the "sprits" had walked through her, but not one that wasn't grey. No, this one was completely different. It was colored a light red, almost orange. Tsubaki assumed "it" was supposed to be a girl, indicated by the strands of extremely bright wisps, probably resembling hair. She walked through the hall with such grace, she almost seemed angelic. Tsubaki looked back at the dark green figure, who had moved his gaze from her to the other girl. As soon as she came close, he turned away, embarrassed.

"…Yes…she was so beautiful, so real…I was just another hopeless fool, lurking in the shadows…"

"Not creepy at all." Tsubaki whispered under her breath.

"You say something, Miss?" Ghaunt's hissed. He waited for a response, one he never received.

The scene shifted as soon as the orange spirit headed out of sight. Tsubaki found herself out of the hallway and into a classroom. The classroom itself wasn't at all like Tsubaki thought it would be - rather than looking like the rest of the school, this room was neat and tidy. Desks were arranged in an orderly fashion, with backpacks sprayed about the place. The ghost-like bodies were gathered together in groups. Tsubaki turned her attention to one group. Four of the spirits in total, all of which were familiar. The brown, yellow, purple and - of course - dark green ones huddled close to one another. The green one looked pass Tsubaki, who turned to find the orange girl from before sitting right next to her. She felt the warmth again, but it was quickly extinguished when she found the gangly green sprit shyly making his way towards the two of them.

"I was terribly shy back then…of course I got over it and…well…look where I am now."

Tsubaki watched as Ghaunt's silhouette of green awkwardly got the orange girl's attention. Their was still no dialogue, but Tsubaki understood what was going on. The orange girl nodded her head, and the green figure walked back triumphantly.

Again, the scene changed. Tsubaki felt like she had been sucked into a film at the theater. The new location was back outside. Night had fallen, the only light coming from street lamps and the full moon. She noticed the spirits roaming around this neighborhood she appeared to be in. She stood in front of a rather large looking house, larger than the others that surrounded it. Tsubaki felt the strange feeling of uneasiness again, so she turned. Sure enough, there was Ghaunt's strange ghost…thing. It slowly made its way up to the front of the home, passing Tsubaki once again. It nervously extended its arm out, pointing a sharp finger at a button next to the front door. He pressed it, and a charming bell rang out. Tsubaki began to have mixed feelings for this strange creature. On one hand, she felt an irreversible anger for the evil he's committed. On the other, an awkward pity for the shyness of such a criminal. She had no idea what to think. So she stood and watched, trying to see where the story would go from here.

The door of the huge house swung open, revealing the orange girl once more. Tsubaki watched nearby as she came out of her house silently and walk away along with the green gangly form. Tsubaki followed as the two walked the deserted neighborhood streets.

"We were so different…her and I…she was shorter, smarter, hardworking…I was…I was…what was I…?"

Ghaunt rambled on and off as Tsubaki followed the unlikely duo. It went on for a while, the two walking in silence. At least, that was how Tsubaki saw it. The two looked like they would be communicating, but with no voices to speak with.

After a while, they returned to the girl's house. Tsubaki decided to watch from afar. The orange girl opened the door to her house, but didn't go inside right away. She turned around and, surprisingly to both Ghaunt and Tsubaki, hugged her green friend. Even from far away, Tsubaki could tell that the spirit was bewildered by this. But he welcomed it, and slowly hugged her back. She soon let go, as did him, and walked back into home. As the door shut, the green sprit walked away, a sense of happiness glowing from inside.

"It would have been perfect…but then they poke and prod…began to make fun of me…even though I worked so hard for her affection!"

Images began to surge past Tsubaki, distorting the rest of the scenery around her. One had the blue spirit talking down to green one. Another of the brown and purple ones together, with Ghaunt's doppelganger watching alone from afar. They floated around Tsubaki, showing scenes one after another. Tsubaki watched each of them as the neighborhood around her slowly faded to white.

"After that first night, I tried so many times to get us together again. But it never worked…she was busy all the time…I can't even remember when I realized I would never be with her…"

Tsubaki blinked. The world had once again become a blank white slate. She heard something from behind her. She turned to find a person huddled on the ground. Cautiously, she made her way towards him, not knowing what to expect. Once she was right over him, Tsubaki stopped.

"David…it that you?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

After a pause, the man in front of her stood up and turned. Tsubaki's eyes grew wide. The man was nothing she expected to see. His face was a bit hairy, a faint sign of sideburns on his cheeks. He wore a striped brown suit, nothing more. No hat, no mask. In his hands was a slip of paper. With caring brown eyes, he stared and smiled at the NOL officer.

"I am truly sorry, Tsubaki. I had no right to do the things I did. It's just…I need someone in my life…like you."

Tsubaki merely stared. She had no idea what to make of this situation. She just continued to listen to this new man.

"I gave up on love many decades ago…but after finding this picture, I realized what I was in need of to rest in peace."

David handed the picture to Tsubaki, who eyed it carefully. It was a picture of a young woman wearing a long black dress, her hair a bright orange. The warm glow came back for a fraction of a second.

"She's beautiful." Tsubaki said quietly as she handed it back.

"Yes…I know," David pocketed the picture. "I can't believe I lost my chance with her…" A long pause drifted between the two. Tsubaki could sense something was coming. David broke the silence after a while. "But now, I have a chance to redeem myself. Please, shut your eyes, if you will."

Tsubaki was reluctant to do so, but the awkward smile coming from her suited acquaintance bore deep into her. She inevitably did so, worried about what would happen. After a moment, she felt like nothing had happened. It was dark, and she had no idea if anything was going on.

A sudden breeze on her face opened her eyes for her.

"W-what is this?" She shouted.

Looking around, she realized where she was. Down below she could see the entirety of Kagutsuchi. Nothing was hidden from her from where she stood. She looked down at herself. She was wearing the most regal robes she had ever seen, let alone wore. They were white, just like her uniform, but with gold and red patterns covering the majority of it. She looked over from the balcony she was one. Under her were two other balconies, both larger in size. The first had a few familiar looking faces on it. Tsubaki watched as Noel, Makoto and Carl all looked up at her and waved. She waved back, feeling as happy as she had ever been. On the lower terrace was a group of NOL officers herding some prisoners away. One wore a red jacket and had spiky white hair, and another had the appearance of a black blob with a mask. Tsubaki cast those thoughts away, too overjoyed about seeing her long time friends. From behind her came an all-too familiar voice.

"I know how much you respect the Imperator Librarius. If you let me, I can _get_ you that position, that power," David said innocently. "Just give me the say, and I will do so."

He smiled sheepishly at the red haired woman, who had shut her eyes to avoid his gaze. Tsubaki said nothing for a moment. David reached for her hands, his touch still cold on her warm skin.

"Please…let me atone and rest…Tsubaki."

Again, silence. The two stood at the top of the world, two equally different individuals. After a period of peace, Tsubaki opened her eyes and spoke.

"David…you say you came to Kagutsuchi in search of closure and love. Your past life was miserable by the look of it, so you dared to make a new life here. Your search for it has led you to me, who you come before, offering great power in return for my affection," Her audience of one listened intently as she went on.

"But, within that search, you have left a trail filled with murder, lies, deceit and misery, just for your own desires," She stared at him with furious eyes. "And you even dare talk about love like it is some materialistic object that you wish to posses in your hands. You have shown me only what you want me have, just to please yourself, and give you a sense of satisfaction, which you call love."

With every word she said, Tsubaki subconsciously noticed a bit of armor would appear and clamp onto her listener's skin, where as his suit began to tear and rip, revealing the iron body beneath. His smile had vanished during her speech.

"Love is much more complicated than that, something I can't even fully fathom. It is not something you can buy at a store or bribe someone into giving it to you," With that, the skull mask appeared and finished dressing up the gangly metal man. "You are nothing more than another pathetic criminal roaming the city like it's your own bachelors pad. Your mask and flimsy clothing hide nothing, even if you wanted to. And that's more than enough for me, Tsubaki Yayoi, Member of the Zero Squadron - no, woman in general - , to deny your sick request to fulfill your own selfish motives."

The silence returned once more like a ghost. The burning, hate filled eyes of Tsubaki's had been extinguished after seeing no reaction out of Ghaunt. The two once again stood on top of the world, except one of them felt like jumping. This one, after minutes of no reaction, finally spoke.

"…no…no…no no no No No No No NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

His screams pierced through the silence like a sharp blade. Tsubaki fell back, unknowingly realizing she had been released from his grasp. The walls around her shook - hell, the whole building shook - as the iron clad man vented his rage. Tsubaki watched as Ghaunt's eyes - which were flaming with hate - slowly began to envelope him in a acidic green fire. Her eyes stung from the flares, shutting them to avoid harm. Ghaunt's scraps of burlap clothing were the first to go, followed by his metal armor and brim hat. The fires reached around the room like a malevolent snake, but it avoided Tsubaki, with her only feeling the extreme heat from the flare. When she was able to see again, the room had become completely absorbed by the flames. Her clothes had reverted back to her uniform, but she didn't focus on that. Her attention was on the figure who now stood in front of her. In place of the armored man was now a charred black colored skeleton, outlined by the green flame. His face was still covered by the mask as he leaned forward and stared viciously at Tsubaki.

"You see now! THIS is who I TRULY am! I sold my god-damn soul for my dear Elena…and this is how I am repaid!" He screamed as he ripped off the skull mask, revealing his true face: Nothing more than a black skull colored the same as the rest of his body. He outstretched his arms and inched his way closer to Tsubaki.

"I will enjoy breaking you in two for insulting me…after I offered you to get you anything! Power! Riches! Anything! And you denied me even that!"

Tsubaki tried to run, but it was no use. Her legs were immobilized, by fear or by his power, she did not know. Ghaunt reached for her collar and yanked her up to his eye level.

"So…I ask you, Tsubaki Yayoi," He leaned in closer, the smell of burning flesh flared in Tsubaki's nostrils. "WHY?"

Tsubaki, even though surrounded in fire, uncharacteristically spat in Ghaunt's face. "Because bastards like you don't deserve a happy ending."

The line was torn. Ghaunt reeled his hand back, ready to deal the killing blow, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Suddenly, however, from the unknown came a faint shouting, interrupting him.

_Tsubaki!_

Ghaunt stopped and looked around, confused, as did Tsubaki. Neither knew where the voice came from. They simultaneously looked up. From above them - which once was the ceiling to a room - was now only a vague white sky. A single black dot stood out. Both eyed it in complete bewilderment. The dot grew bigger and bigger, and seemed to turn…blue. It landed right next to the two, spreading the flames out around it's landing spot. The "dot" turned out to be none other than…

"N-Noel?"

"How in the hell?"

Noel stood up and smiled. "Nice to see you two are getting along so well."

Ghaunt roared in anger, Tsubaki stood in silence, stunned. Behind Noel an opening began to form, large enough for all three to fit through. Noel smirked and grabbed the two and pulled them through the gaping portal. Nothing was left in the burning chamber except a tiny slip of paper that hadn't so much as been grazed by the flames.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew! (Déjà vu?) Almost done! This one took a while! I hope Ghaunt's back-story was as fun for you as much as it was for me. He's supposed to be this kind of way - a deep intellectual but also murderously insane. I hope that's the vibe I'm getting to you readers you. Only one more chapter left before the big finale! Speaking of…meh, I'll tell you next chapter. Keep yah in suspense and what not.**

**Thanks for reading! Have a happy…uh…derp…day. Yeah**


	13. Fracture

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Chapter 12: Fracture

An odd clustered assortment of various sounds rang out throughout the gardens as the three appeared seemingly from thin air. The white clothed red haired maiden groaned as dust spread out from their landing. The girl in blue shook her head, also impaired from their returning to reality. A little ways away from them, sprawled out across the ground, the metal man coughed and gagged as he tried to stand up. The farthest he got was onto his hands and knees, for his head lightly clanked onto something also made of metal. Once his vision regained, Ghaunt found himself staring at the barrel of a familiar looking canon. He strained himself as he looked up at the holder of the gun, her silhouette blocking the sun from Ghaunt's view, giving off the image of some holy spirit or angel. The masked man sniggered.

"Took your damn time didn't you, Mariana?"

The white haired girl shook her head. "Its over, Ghaunt. Just shut up and stand. You're coming with me. Back to the asylum."

The dust began to settle, restoring the beautiful gardens back to the way they were before these intruders appeared. Tsubaki, who started to regain her own vision, felt someone lifting her up from up off the ground. "Huh…?" She turned her head to find another familiar, her perky ears sprouting out of her hair. "M-Makoto?"

The beastkin girl smiled. "Heya Tsubaki. How's it hangin'?" She obviously had not lost her sense of charm.

Tsubaki turned her head again to see her savior and friend slowly stand up, still shaking her head. Farther away, she saw another girl wearing a black dress pointing a gun at her former captor. She gave off another familiar vibe Tsubaki had felt when she was still in…

"Tsubaki!" Before she could finish her thoughts, Tsubaki found Noel standing in front of her smiling the biggest smile she had ever seen. "Are you OK, Tsubaki? You hurt anywhere?"

"N-no. I'm fine," Tsubaki stuttered, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened in the past two seconds. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Makoto chimed triumphantly. "We're on a rescue mission!"

"Rescue?"

Tsubaki turned her attention to the girl in black ordering Ghaunt to stand.

"Come on, David. You're finished," Mariana threatened. "I'm pretty sure the warden would like to have a nice long chat with you."

Ghaunt tore his gaze away from the job-doing end of the gun and stared intensely at her, his eyes filled with hate. Mariana didn't so much as flinch, unaffected by his neon eyes. The two just viciously glared at one another in silence, until…

"You mask wearing son of a bitch!"

The five individuals - Ghaunt, Mariana, Tsubaki, Noel and Makoto - all turned their attention to a badly beaten man standing a ways from Ghaunt and Mariana. His outfit was ripped and torn, stained with blood. His blonde hair was frizzled like he had just got out of bed. He pointed his sword at the fallen villain, who meagerly laughed.

"Major. I thought I killed you." Ghaunt sounded bored.

* * *

><p>Ghaunt grabbed Jin's lifeless body and dragged him away from the gardens, leaving a sleeping beauty behind him. He avoided the city's streets - because seeing a wanted criminal carrying a near dead person in the broad daylight wasn't strange at all - and made his way to the shadier part of town. He peered out from behind a building, only to find a few homeless gathered around a barrel. Ghaunt would have smiled, but his anger was to great, so he refrained from doing so. He came out from behind the building, roaming the streets as he pleased. The homeless turned their attention on the masked man walking past them and grew silent. Ghaunt stared at them for a second, and they in turned looked away. He kept walking, knowing his fear over them was greater than the authorities.<p>

Soon, he came upon a huge circular hole with a grate covering it. The sign next to it read _Waste Disposal System_. Ghaunt used his free hand to grip the gate and prop it open. He took a look inside, seeing nothing but darkness. He smirked as he grabbed the limb body of the Major with his other arm. Jin began to regain his focus and coughed.

"Ah! So you're awake. That's good. I wanted to give you your last words you'll ever hear before you die." Ghaunt maliciously gloated.

Jin spat at Ghaunt, his blood splattering the metal skin of his executioner. "Burn in hell you criminal degenerate…"

Ghaunt chuckled. "They're you go again, Major. Spitting on me, just like our first encounter. But I'll be gracious and just give you my final statement to you." He eased up his grip on Jin's shoulders, slowly letting him sink from his grasp. "Everything will be great after you die, Major Kisaragi. The world will have one less prick to inhabit it. Oh. And don't worry about dear Tsubaki. She'll be in good hands."

He fully released his clawed hands from Jin, letting him fall into the chasm of garbage and darkness. As he fell, Jin could make out only one last sound before the darkness consumed him.

"MINE."

* * *

><p>"I guess they're weren't my last words to you. A shame. I tire of looking at your face." Ghaunt continued to berate the Major even in the position he was in.<p>

"Shut it!" Mariana shouted, trying to stop him from doing anymore harm. To no avail, however.

"I am going to beat the SHIT out of you, creep!" Jin yelled as he raced through the gardens, his sword at the ready. The three girls watched from afar with awe and horror. Ghaunt looked up at Mariana, who was distracted by the insane sword wilding man dashing towards them. He smirked and what followed was complete chaos.

Ghaunt quickly lifted himself from the ground, sending his clawed hand at the canon that only seconds ago could have planted a bullet in his distorted brain. Before she knew it, Mariana found herself without her firearm. Ghaunt took the backside of his metal hand and knocked Mariana to the ground. She grunted as she landed, the impact barely softened by a patch of flowers. From behind him, Ghaunt heard the cocking of guns, to which he swiftly turned to find Noel taking offensive. He laughed maniacally.

"Come on, Vermillion! Am I not the one that has caused so much pain for you and your friends?" He insanely teased as he slowly drew closer to her. Noel shook her head. _Don't listen. He's trying to do the same thing from last time. Ignore him._ Before he closed in on her, Noel shut her Bolverk at Ghaunt with deadly accuracy. But, apparently not accurate enough. Ghaunt jumped at the last second, avoiding the bullets as he leaped into the air. Adding insult to injury, Noel watched as Jin, who had been running towards them at breakneck speed, finally making it to them. Unfortunately, he had been running in the same direction Noel's bullets took, which ended up colliding with her Major. He collapsed while running, making him slide across the ground like it had been made of ice. Noel gasped, and tried to run toward to help him up. Something stopped her from doing so, a grip on her ankles. She looked down to find chains wrapping themselves around her legs. Before she could react, Noel found herself swung into the air like a rag doll. Her vision of her surroundings were blurred due to her speed, but she could make out the metal posture and eyes of her assailant. Also, his acid tipped laughter gave a hint.

"Oh, don't you hate it when that happens? You mustn't be so brash, Noel dear! Or shit like this might happen!"

"Don't you hate it when THIS happens, bone-head!"

Ghaunt turned too late to find a fist outfitted with a tonfa collide with his head, sending him spiraling to the ground. The chains released their hostage, and Noel now found herself falling, but in seconds caught by her upbeat friend.

"'Bone-head'? Really, Makoto?" Noel joked.

"What? To corny?" Makoto smiled, setting her friend back down. The two shared a short time of peace before returning their attention to Ghaunt, who slowly and shakily stood up.

Ghaunt shook his head, feeling an incredible pain in his jaw. He took his metal claws and rubbed his head, snapping his jaw back into place - which indeed felt weird having nothing but a mask to conceal it - and preceded to scoff the two.

"Now here is the challenge that I expected when I came to Kagutsuchi! He he he…Yow!" Ghaunt's chuckles were interrupted by a speeding bullet grazing his shoulder armor. He growled as he finds a standing and armed Mariana, her decorative gun aimed right at him. She inches her way closer her allies, still keeping her gun on Ghaunt's gangly figure. Ghaunt analyzes his enemies for a second, that stops mid-way, realizing something.

"Wait…where's-GAH!"

A sharp pain shot though his metal body, but it did not come from the front. Ghaunt took a gander at his torso, finding a crimson colored blade sticking out of chest. It was covered in a green gooey liquid - his blood. He cocked his head to look behind him, finding Tsubaki wielding the blade, breathing heavily. The two locked eyes, finding the hate and anger in the other's expression.

"I've had enough of this shit…" Ghaunt mumbled.

In a flash, he spun around, forcing Tsubaki to lose grip of her sword, swiped the Zero Wing soldier's shield from her and grab her neck. Tsubaki tried to get loose from his metal grasp, but no such luck fell on her. Ghaunt shoved the shield into his rope belt that hung around his waist before throwing the defenseless Tsubaki at her friends. Noel and Makoto tried to catch her, but ended up falling to the ground as their red haired friend plowed into them. Ghaunt watched the scene in satisfaction, then preceded to pull the rest of the Izayoi from his back. He grunted in pain, but managed to take the blood stained weapon out and pocket it just as he did with the shield.

"Well…it's been fun. But I'm done with you people." Ghaunt scoffed as he pressed some buttons on the wrist that was outfitted with the prototype teleportation device. A green aura began to envelope the area around him. But before he could ditch his playmates, Ghaunt heard a gunshot. In seconds, the bullet pierced the machinery on his wrist, barely missing his arm. The aura disappeared, leaving an angered Ghaunt in its wake. He traced the bullet back to Mariana, who hadn't been hit by Tsubaki when he threw her. He growled and, unsurprisingly, sprinted away, heading towards the city.

"Bastard…" Mariana mumbled to herself, and immediately pursued him. The three friends slowly stood up, dusting themselves off. Makoto was the first to break the silence between them.

"Boy…she really wants to get him. You think-"

"Come on, guys! He ran off with my weapons! I need them back!" Tsubaki uncharacteristically interrupted. Noel nodded.

"Yeah…let's go." The three ran off following the trail Mariana made for them, running out of the gardens and leaving an unconscious Jin lying on the ground.

Unbeknownst to them, of course.

* * *

><p>Out of the gardens, Ghaunt takes a look behind him after running for some time. He peers from behind the corner of the building he hid behind, hoping to find no one their. Instead, he was greeted with a bullet, again just barely becoming a permanent resident in his head. Mariana shoots again, this time hitting the wall right next to Ghaunt. With another growl, Ghaunt shoves his clawed hand into the wall and began to climb up. The task took seconds to accomplish, and there he stood on the roof, overlooking both the city and the gardens. He burst into another run as another bullet crossed his path again. Mariana climbed to the top of the structure, using the indents made by Ghaunt to pursue him. The two ran from building to building, shooting one another that looked like a choreographed act to the citizens below them.<p>

Ghaunt decided to shake things up a bit. He spun around quickly to face his pursuer, and grabbed a ball from his tattered clothes. Mariana stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Ghaunt chuck the metal object at her. As it flew in the air towards her, she could hear a ticking noise come from it. She jumped out of the way, without thinking, and fell off the building. The metallic ball hit the place Mariana once stood and exploded, releasing no gas, just an explosion that rippled Ghaunt's hat. He laughed in triumph before starting to run again. Unfortunately for him, he didn't make it very far. Ghaunt found his armor pelted with bullets from the other side of the flame. Got off guard, the gangly villain cursed as he lost his footing and plummeted towards the building below.

* * *

><p>His weight was more than enough to break through the ceiling. Ghaunt landed onto a table, scattering all kinds of assorted delicacies everywhere. He rubbed his head and took off his hat, taking a gander at his location. Artistic lights hung from the ceiling, as well as beautiful Chinese art on the walls. Tables were arranged with equal amounts of food, each looking more delicious than the last. The stunned looks of the patrons of the restaurant fell onto the strange masked man who had just created a whole in the roof. The shouting from two of the patrons brought Ghaunt back from his gaze.<p>

"Hey! Buddy! Where the hell did you come from!"

Ghaunt looked at the angry, yet equally confused silver haired man. His different colored eyes would have intrigued Ghaunt - he was kind of weird that way, different was always his thing - if he didn't already know who this coat wearing guy was. The voice of another next to him stole his attention.

"Asshole! I was eating that!"

Again, Ghaunt turned his head, and it almost rolled off as he saw the little figure that stood their. The small child wore a cloak that hid her face from everyone around her. A huge weapon looking instrument gripped the small one's back looking very awkward on someone of that size. The same mouth moved, but a new voice came out.

"Actually Luna, doesn't this guy look familiar?"

Ghaunt tore his vision between the two individuals he sat between, looking from one to the other. "Son of a bitch!" He shouted out loud. From behind him another voice called out.

"Criminal! Look what you did to my store! I hope you got money to pay for this!" The angry Chinese woman came from out of nowhere screaming at Ghaunt. He obliviously ignored her, looking back up from his "seat" and store through the hole he made. On the building he was previously on now stood three individuals, each peering down back at him.

"The shit just doesn't end in this town, does it?" Ghaunt mumbled to himself. He stood up, ignoring all in the store. He gripped the largest part of the table he landed on and tossed it at the nearest window, no doubt scaring the crap out of whoever was out there. He ran out of the store through his newly created exited, tearing up the sidewalk once he made it outside, leaving many confused patrons, and a few pissed of ones too.

"Wonder what that guy's problem is with doors…" Ragna casually spoke. "By the way, you're paying for this right, Luna?"

* * *

><p>Tsubaki, Noel, and Makoto all watched the metal man run through the streets of Kagutsuchi. Noel began to shoot at him from the rooftops as the three began to follow him from up high. The chase went through all of Kagutsuchi, from Orient Town all the way to the docks. The sun still shined above them, watching the whole scene from its seat in the sky.<p>

Ghaunt took a sharp turn into one of the alleyways between the buildings near the docks. His breathing was heavy, the pain in his chest growing as his green tainted blood stained the ground under him. An unexpected punch to the gut jolted him out of his rest.

"GAH!"

He staggered back, somehow still standing. The punch was pretty damn hard. He viciously locked eyes with Makoto, who, even with her huge tail and bright colored outfit, was able to sneak up on him. She smirked.

"Come on, freak. Bring it on!"

Mechanically, Ghaunt leapt towards her, claws branded for the kill. He swiped at her from every which way, to which she dodged equally as fast. Ghaunt had turned into an animal, destroying anything in sight. The walls around him were scrapped, anything in the alley had turned into nothing more than trash. Makoto decided to take evasive action, jumping up using Ghaunt's head as a step. He fell to the ground with a convincing _THUD_. Fueled on anger, Ghaunt stood up fast, greeted once again with pain. A barrage of gunshots pelted his metal frame. The metal chains deflected many of the bullets, but rather than last time, these ones were much more powerful. Noel kept shooting, watching the villain frail about like a fish. Ghaunt soon fell, a titan accepting defeat. A hand on Noel's shoulder was able to stop her before she did more damage.

"Noel, stop. It's over for him." Tsubaki's voice was calm and delicate.

"But, Tsubaki!" Noel pleaded. "Don't you remember what he did? Not just to you and me, but to everyone in the city?"

Tsubaki ignored her, and walked away from her two friends. Makoto caught Noel's gaze. "What about me?"

"Ugh…Makoto. Not now." Noel groaned.

Tsubaki made her way through the war torn alley, finding her before the slumped mass of Ghaunt. He was gasping for air, on his hands and knees. He didn't look at her, but he knew she was there. Tsubaki bent over onto her knees, and laid her hand on his back.

"David. Please," she whispered. "Give up. I'm asking you." She paused. "It's what Elena would want."

At first, nothing. Tsubaki waited for something. Any reaction, any at all. Still, more silence. She was about to get up, thinking there was no point to speak to him anymore. But she stopped, she thought she heard a faint chuckle. It was then that he spoke, but only in a whisper.

"You don't know what she would want…you're not her…and…"

His reaction was quicker this time. He grabbed her throat, his rage at the boiling point. She gagged as he slowly rose from his spot. Ghaunt stared at her, and Tsubaki could find nothing in his eyes that even resembled humanity.

"DON'T. CALL ME. DAVID." Ghaunt hissed as he squeezed on her soft neck.

He faced Noel and Makoto, who looked half worried and half angry, ready to attack the metal aggressor. Ghaunt placed Tsubaki into a headlock, his left arm keeping grabbled tightly around her head. With his right, he grabbed one of his pistols out of its holster and aimed it at his hostage's head.

"One step, one bullet. That's all that it takes." He shouted at the two in front of him. Ghaunt hissed into Tsubaki's ear. "You've seen enough films to know this trick, right?"

With the last of his power, Ghaunt propelled himself upward, skyrocketing towards the roof of the building. He moved to the edge of the roof with his captive. He looked behind him, realizing too late where one fall off the edge would lead to: OFF of Kagutsuchi. He turned, finding the two friends already there. He grated his teeth.

"Your friends are persistent…I'll give them that." His acid tongue rolled right off into Tsubaki's ear. She smiled through the pain. "You have no idea."

"Come on, Ghaunt! Things have gone far enough!" Noel shouted with authority. "There's no where else to run!"

"Unless you feel like jumping! Just remember to leave Tsubaki before you do!" Makoto interrupted.

"MAKOTO! Now is NOT the time!" Noel groaned again.

Ghaunt laughed hysterically. "Maybe I will! It's better than staying in this shithole of a city!" His grip on Tsubaki tightened. "And your friend might come with me! If I can't have her, no one can damn well have her!"

Tsubaki mumbled something indistinct to which none of them heard. Ghaunt was maddened by this. "What was that!" He screamed.

She was able to raise her hand slightly, pointing to someone behind both Noel and Makoto. The three looked, resulting in two sighs and one low growl. There stood Mariana, a bit dirty, a bit late, but still there, her gun cocked and aimed at Ghaunt.

"Thanks for leaving me in the garbage, guys." Mariana half joked.

"Well, you left us first." Makoto stuck her tongue out. Noel gave herself a nice face palm.

"True." Mariana retorted. "Ghaunt! Give it up, it's over now." She shouted without making any hesitations at all.

Sick laughter continued to spew out. "That's what you said fifteen minutes ago! Nothing has changed, Mariana! You will never catch me! I have come too far to let YOU take this away from me!" He violently shook Tsubaki, who felt like she was nothing more than an object to her captor.

Ghaunt continued. "If you got the nerve: shoot me. Shoot me and end my pathetic little existence."

Tsubaki looked up at the masked man, thoughts rapidly flowing through her mind. Did this vile, despicable inhuman murderer truly come to the city just for love, for closure? He maimed and killed to get his way, Tsubaki thought. How can I forgive a monster like him?

Something flashed in Tsubaki's mind. The images came quick, but she could see them out. They showed the green gangly sprit on the ground, crying. From behind him bright light came. He looked up, finding the orange spirit extending her hand out to him. Tsubaki watched him slowly reach for it, but then the vision cut off, bringing her back to reality. The reality that had the five of them on a roof, her captured, her captor manically teasing her friends to shoot him, with one primed to do so.

Ghaunt slammed his iron boot onto the roof and shouted one last time.

"COME ON! SHOOT ME!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Get it? Fracture? Like in the mind? *waits for laughter* **

**Damn it…**

**Oh well, so here is the final chapter before the ending. (Spoiler alert?) You guys probably saw that coming from a mile away. Anyway, the ending is going to a bit late, but I have a reason. I'm doing the endings to this fic like the ones done in the actual game: One true ending for Ghaunt, one bad one, and one gag ending. I think it will work, but we'll just have to see. I'm going to try and release the three different endings right before Christmas, since my school will be off by the time this gets posted. So yeah, those are my plans for the endings, but no more spoilers for you readers.**

**As always, Thanks for reading!**


	14. TE: Humanity

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

True Ending: Humanity

It came quick. The shot burst from the barrel so fast, Ghaunt had no time to react. The bullet tore right through his shoulder armor, creating a nice hole for his green blood to ooze out. Even Mariana's allies next to her couldn't make out the speed of her shot.

Tsubaki had closed her eyes, unable to see anything. She thought she was going to fall off along with the madman, just like he said he would've done. Instead, she felt the grip on her being released and she fell onto the ground next to her. Tsubaki opened her eyes to see Ghaunt's arms retracting back to his sides, right before getting shot again. Each shot pierced his armor, blood surging out each hole made. It took Tsubaki a minute, but she soon figured out why she wasn't receiving the bulk of those bullets.

"He pushed me out of the way…" She whispered to herself.

Mariana stopped her barrage, finding Ghaunt swaying around like a drunkard from being hit too many times. She fell to her knees, tired from shooting. Noel and Makoto looked at each other wondering what they should do. Ghaunt watched the scene with failing vision, and chuckled.

"Wow…I didn't think she would…actually do it. Heh heh…"

He tried to take a step back, forgetting where he was. Ghaunt tripped, and proceeded to fall off the roof of the building. The world started to move in slow motion for the masked man, his mind racing. Back and forth from his past memories, the asylum, Kagutsuchi, Tsubaki, the nightmares.

_Maybe it's for the best for the world to be without_ - "GAH!"

Ghaunt opened his eyes and blinked. The docks were still in view, with people idly walking around, surprisingly unable to see a dangling metal man off the side of a building. The pistol he had held in his hand fell down into the abyss, but Ghaunt cared not for the firearm. He looked up, finding Tsubaki on the edge of the roof, holding onto one of his metal chains. He laughed as he took off the patched-up hat that covered his head, fearing it would blow off from the height he was at.

"After all of what I put you and your city though, you still save me? Why?" Ghaunt called up to his savior.

Tsubaki caught his gaze. "Because, you may be a murderer, you may be psycho, you may not be any better than the rest of the criminals in this city, but…" She paused, trying to balance her speech with her strength. "A person with a past like yours shouldn't have to die like this."

Ghaunt chuckled quietly and sighed. "Oh. I see. The whole 'virtuous' thing…I see. Not because you cared for me…"

Tsubaki didn't know how to respond to that. Ghaunt took this silence as the only answer he was going to get and continued.

"Well…I guess there truly is no need for me to stay in your city." He spoke softly as he pulled out his other pistol with his free hand and pointed it upward. Tsubaki flinched, thinking he was going to shoot her. Instead, Ghaunt pointed his brandished weapon at the chain that held him up. He pulled the trigger, blasting a shot into the metal snake. Tsubaki's eyes grew wide.

"David! Don't!" She shouted, struggling to hold onto the iron rope. Ghaunt looked up again, and Tsubaki found something in his eyes that she thought she would never find. It was a tiny glimpse, but it was there, in his neon eyes: Sadness.

Ghaunt laughed coarsely. "Come on, Ms. Yayoi. You should know better than anyone what the NOL will do to me if I climb back up. They would tear me apart. No…I can't live that sort of life again, Tsubaki…not again…"

The metal man tucked his hat under his arm and pulls out Tsubaki's sword and shield hidden in his belt. He tosses the two items up onto the platform above him, landing right next to Tsubaki.

"Here," Ghaunt spoke. "These belong to you…"

He shoots the chain again, this time making better progress. He lurches downward by an inch or so, Tsubaki still trying desperately to hold on. The two lock eyes one last time, Tsubaki silently mouthing the word 'don't'. Ghaunt pauses, giving Tsubaki the idea that he was to retract his decision.

The last shot rang out in her ears. The chain finally broke after its consistent abuse, snapping in half. Ghaunt spiraled down, still looking up as he was absorbed by the mist that covered the lower parts of the city. Tsubaki fell backwards, still gripping the chain as hard as she could. She scrambled towards the edge and looked over again, finding nothing. She didn't know what she wanted to do: cry, feel sorry, be happy. She felt like a blank slate, no emotion emitting from her. Tsubaki didn't even realize until after a while that her friends had picked her up and helped her down the building. A hand waved in front of her face, bringing her back to reality.

"Tsubaki? You alright?" Noel asked.

"I'm…I'm not sure." Tsubaki replied indistinctly.

"Hey! Where'd Mariana go?" Makoto interrupted, looking around the area. The other two followed suit, scanning the area for the white haired girl. She was nowhere in sight. Makoto bounced up the stairwell they had used to get down. She returned in seconds with her analysis.

"She's not up there either. Neither is that chain of Ghaunt's that you were holding onto, Tsubaki."

The three sat in wonder and confusion for quite sometime before leaving as the sun made way for the moon in the sky.

* * *

><p><em>One month later.<em>

Tsubaki stood at her post in solitude at the Hanging Gardens. She looked around, looking to see if anyone was coming. She sighed and walked away from her position, finding no one was coming from any direction. Tsubaki walked in silence through the gardens, looking for the one spot she was at a month earlier. The huge hedges loomed overhead when she eventually found the spot. Tsubaki walked through the large gateways of foliage to find the table, still standing upright. The same could not be said about the chairs that laid on the ground. She frowned as she picked up one of the regal chairs up and rested upon it.

"Why would he do that? It makes no sense…" Tsubaki spoke to herself out loud.

"He's not dead." A voice from behind her jolted Tsubaki out of her seat. She find a frowning familiar, her black dress and white hair ruffled and dirty.

"Mariana…that's your name right?" Tsubaki formally asked.

She nodded. "We never were truly introduced to one another, were we?"

"What do you mean he's not dead?" Tsubaki retorted. "No one could survive that fall."

"I've been assigned to him for more than five years, Tsubaki. I know his mind. He wouldn't let himself be killed so easily." The snow haired girl answered. "And now I have to go report to the asylum that I've lost him…"

"Is that what you've been doing since we last saw you? We could have helped!"

Mariana shook her head. "Now there is no need. I'm done. The bastard's probably long gone by now."

She started to walk away, then turned to face Tsubaki again. "You know, you were the only person to have ever gotten that close to him. I couldn't, the shrinks at the asylum couldn't, not even the other lunatics could reach that level with him." She paused. In her silence she pulled out something from her shirt and tossed it to Tsubaki, who caught it awkwardly, not expecting something from Mariana. She looked at it and quickly knew what it was: Ghaunt's chain she held onto. She looked back to Mariana, who simply nodded.

"Keep it. Neither him nor I have any use for it. It'll be one hell of a memento." She turned and walked out of sight. Tsubaki wondered if she would ever see her again. She looked down at the chain once more and gripped it tighter.

"David…" She whispered to herself.

* * *

><p><em>A few days later. <em>

Mariana found herself back before the huge iron gates again. The asylum seemed like a second home to her. A more insane, terrifying second home. The gates slowly opened up like the gaping jaws of a huge creature, waiting for her to come inside. Mariana did so, strolling through the familiar courtyard, the clouds above her dark and ominous looking. She made it inside the main building right as it began to rain. She walked down the prison's halls in search of her employer's office. The shouts and screams of the nut jobs in their cells were muffled by the glass that contained them, but she heard them nonetheless. She eventually made it to her destination. The door was emblazoned with a title on it, reading _DOCTOR WARD, HEAD OF PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT_.

Mariana sighed as she walked in. A man in a lab coat looked up from his desk at her, and almost fell out of his chair. A lady in a white garb stood next to the man, also surprised to see the arrival of one of their familiar's. The man calmed down and began to speak.

"Mariana! You nearly scared me half to death! Please sit down," Mariana did so, while the man turned to his assistant. "Ms. Shinobi, remind me later to have a talk with the head of the security personal here."

"Yes, Dr. Ward." The white dressed woman nodded, marking the note in a clipboard she was holding. The doctor turned back to Mariana, who sat patiently in front of him.

"So, Ms. Agnis, I assume he…got away?" Ward asked rhetorically.

Sadly, but professionally, Mariana nodded. Ward sighed, turning to his scribe and nodded. Ms. Shinobi left the room with clipboard in hand, Mariana unaware of her destination. Ward spoke again.

"The other parole officers will not like this. They will probably view this as a…failure. Are you willing to accept that fact?"

Again, Mariana nodded. "I shouldn't have failed in Kagutsuchi. I don't understand why I couldn't catch him."

"Well, he is one of the top patients in the asylum-"

"Was, Dr. Ward." Mariana irritably interrupted. Ward said nothing more, realizing the failure was paying a hefty toll on this girl in front of him. The door to his office opened, revealing Ms. Shinobi, no doubt returning from her errand. She locked eyes with Mariana.

"Ms. Agnis, there are two certain…individuals who want to speak to you." Her voice was soft, but not low.

Mariana took a glance at Dr. Ward and sighed. Ward nodded thoughtfully, knowing where she was to go. Mariana stood up, and exited the room without a word. The doctor and his assistant exchanged glances and said nothing more.

Mariana's frown felt plastered to her face as she arrived at another room farther in the asylum. The inmates' muffled noise had no effect on her, mostly because she flat out ignored their cries of insanity. She slowly opened the door labeled _PATIENT THERAPY ROOM_. The room was dark save for one dim light that hung in the middle of the room. Its light illuminated the only things in the room: Mariana, a wooden table and two others who sat in chairs next one another. They immediately noticed as their parole officer walked in.

"Well, well. Ms. Agnis, you finally come home. We sure did miss you. Tell us, how'd your mission go?" One sneered.

Mariana stared angrily at the figure in the dark. He was human, his shirt removed showing off his body covered in tattoos. His bald head and rough facial features matched his long armbands and rugged dark orange pants, which were covered with pockets. His smile was wretched and his teeth gleamed a disgusting yellow.

"Shut it, Victor." Mariana blatantly stated.

"Yeah Vic. Can't ya tell she's REAL upset," The other figure spoke up. "Us girls have a real problem dealing with failure, right Mary?"

The white haired officer eyed the other one now, her anger rising. This other girl was as old as her, but one couldn't tell if they never heard her. A oversized brown robe shrouded her young body, including her face. The only things visible were her hands, her dirty blonde hair and two white eyes coming from the hidden face.

"Alyce, be quiet. And don't even think about comparing us two. Ever."

"But I never-"

"I don't care. What did you morons want?"

The two patients exchanged glances, feeling a sense of hostility with their officer in charge. Oh, the irony…

Victor smiled fiendishly. "Did you really fail, Mariana? We really want to know. Ya know, for confirmation. It'll make a great story to tell the boys at the mess hall."

The two stared at her with wild anticipation. Mariana stared back with vicious silence. She began to leave the room.

"Hey, wait! You can't just leave us in suspense!" Alyce called out. "Just spill the beans and tell us, Mariana!"

Before she exited the room, Mariana turned to her two psychos and sighed in anger and sorrow. "…I failed, you sick pricks."

The man and girl exchanged glances in silence, for a mere ten seconds before bursting out in insane laughter. Mariana slammed the door to the room, leaving them to their hysterics. By noon that very day, the story had spread throughout the madhouse, and virtually every inmate in the asylum laughed in victory, their vanguard being Mariana's tale of failure. For them, it was a win for insanity's sake.

* * *

><p><em>Back in Kagutsuchi.<em>

The sun began to set on the grand city once more, a beautiful sunset looming over the horizon. From miles away, a tram on the infamous monorail came screeching to a halt as it arrived at its destination. Many people began to file out of the metal coach, pushing and shoving just to return from wherever they came from. One small family came out with their luggage as the last passengers of the tram. The mother held onto her little girl's hand tightly, not letting go no matter what. The father had went on ahead of them to confirm with one of the many porters at the station and show them his families paperwork.

As the mother and daughter walked together, many passengers began to crowd the tram for the next leaving. The girl held on tighter to he mother's arm, scared of losing her in the sea of strangers. The mother looked down and smiled.

"It's OK dear, I won't anything happen to you." She reassured the child.

A man bumped into the mother, undoubtedly in a hurry like the rest. He made no attempt to apologize, just kept walking by. The mother scowled but said nothing, knowing that rude people had lives to, she assumed. She moved her small group of two to a more secluded part of the station and sat her daughter down.

"Dear, mommy's going to look for your dad. I want you to stay here with your things and not move an inch, OK? Don't talk to anyone, I'm going to be right back."

The child nodded, accepting the heavy task on herself. Her mother hugged her, calling her a good girl and left to fulfill her own task. The girl waited a minute before the effects of being a child overcame her and she wondered off the bench with her items. The area was less crowded from before as she returned to the main boarding station. She looked down and found something under her tiny foot. She picked it up, revealing to be a photo of a stunning looking girl, much older than herself.

"That man must have dropped this when he ran into mommy!" The little girl exclaimed. She ran towards the tram, people still crowding to get onto it. Many people entered the large room meant for people who couldn't stand the winds that came with being outside. The girl searched the crowded room, but could not find the man she was looking for. She came out, sighing. She was about to leave before getting in trouble, but stopped when she saw someone sitting on the outside of the room. It was the man, sitting alone in a corner at the back of the monorail platform next to some moving boxes, which would have made him close to invisible if someone was looking for him. He wore a large trench coat with stitches crisscrossing all over it. His hat was also stitched up, and so big it covered his face, so the child could see nothing. He did not notice the girl right away, as if he was lost in his own world. The girl walked over to him and spoke.

"Mister. Mister, can you hear me?" The girl asked innocently.

The man looked up, or she thought he did. The hat still covered his face, leaving the girl in wonder of what his face really looked like. He voice was cold and raspy. "What do you want, child?"

"Um…you dropped this." She lifted up the photo she had, showing the man, who may or may not have seen it. The man dug in his pocket, realizing what she had was actually his. His arm stretched out and gently took the picture from the child. He looked at it for a minute before turning his attention back to the girl.

"Thank you…uh…" He awkwardly paused.

"My name is Emily. And you're welcome." She smiled at the man. The shrouded figure looked around.

"Where are your parents?" He asked with some amount of care.

"Oh, they're around somewhere, looking for each other. We left the city because my parents said the boogeyman was going around and causing trouble." She turned and looked at the sprawling city. "It's really pretty, isn't it?"

The man looked up, but not at the city, rather the girl. He hadn't noticed the golden curls in her hair, how angelic they looked to his eyes. He scoffed, knowing how creepy that would have sounded if he said it out loud. "Yeah…it's gorgeous. Emily…"

The golden haired girl turned around with curious eyes. The cloaked man continued. "I want to ask you a favor, child."

"Oh? What is it mister?"

The man pocketed the picture and pulled out a bag from under his raggedy clothing. From that, he plucked a shiny bronze pistol, which made the girl hesitant. She took a step back, but the man waved a hand.

"No no…I'm not going to hurt you," He placed the gun back in the bag and handed it to the girl. "I have lost this one's sibling, so I wish for you to keep it."

Emily bit her lip. She didn't know what to do. She had already disobeyed her mother by leaving her spot, but now she was talking to a complete stranger, who is also asking her to take this weapon from him. "I…I don't know…" She stuttered.

"Please, child." The man's voice became soft as he begged. "I have sinned so much in my life, especially with this tool here. I am leaving your city to…err…start over, I guess. So, please…" He looked up in his entirety, his face still covered to Emily's eyes, but she could now see his eyes. She made a tiny gasp, staring at the two neon green wispy eyes of his. But, as she stared at him, she saw something she never thought she would see: The man's disturbing eyes were full of sorrow, welling up with acid tears. It was the strangest sight the girl had ever seen, seeing a dirty creature in a state like this.

"Are…are you the boogeyman?" Emily nervously asked.

He didn't respond right away, waiting for a minute or so to pass. "Not if you take this."

After a moment, the girl took the bag and walked off the tram, knowing it would depart soon. She stood at the edge between the monorail and the city, staring at the man in silence. The monorail began to start up and move, distancing itself from Kagutsuchi, and the girl with the man. Before it got to far, however, Emily could see the man remove something under his hat, almost as if he tore his face off. She squinted and saw a skull replacing the darkness that hid under the hat. The skull mouthed something, but even from afar Emily could make out what he said:

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Thousands of miles away, the monorail shook as it passed dozens of mountains, all hovering above the seither covered land below. Ghaunt stared at the brilliant moon and the millions of stars that dotted the sky. He took out the picture from his coat pocket and gazed at it under the moon's light. He chuckled and looked back up at the dark sky.<p>

"Thank you…Tsubaki…"

_The End_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there we go! Ghaunt's true ending to his tale. It's kinda sappy…I guess, but that's what I planned. I want Ghaunt to be a character that isn't forgotten easily, even if he's just an OC. **

**I want to know the reader's opinion of my story as a whole, so go ahead and comment, but don't be nasty. I hate people like that. (Doesn't everyone?)**

**I was thinking about making a sequel or prequel to this fic. I want to know what you think about that too. A sequel would be harder, you know, with the fact that the Blazblue Universe is revolved around a god complex with only a reset button (Well, that's what I think). A prequel would definitely be easier, but I'll let you, the readers, decide whether or not it's a good idea.**

**Also, I just thought of an idea. If anyone wants to use one of my OC's in another fic, I would really like it. I don't know why, I just think it would be cool to see. If someone does use one my characters, be sure to give me credit and tell me so I can see what you do with them. Of course, this is just and idea. I'm not forcing anyone to do it. **

**Thanks for reading, and thanks for finishing this fic! Don't forget to check out the other two endings, though! And Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays everyone!**


	15. BE: Monster

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

Bad Ending: Monster

The silence seemed to last an eternity. No one on the roof took any action, the only thing moving was the wind. Tsubaki was still eye-to-barrel with Ghaunt's pistol, with Noel and Makoto standing helpless next to Mariana, whose own weapon was primed and aimed at the masked villain's head. The two locked eyes - Mariana and Ghaunt -, saying nothing.

Mariana took a quick a glance at Tsubaki, trying to figure out where she should shoot. This was her mistake.

"HA!" Ghaunt exclaimed as he quickly leveled his gun with his enemy's shoulder, and shot. Mariana reacted to late and the bullet cut through her shoulder. She shouted in pain, dropping her cannon as she collapsed to the ground, her hand on the wound that had already became red. Noel and Makoto gasped and hastily helped their fallen friend. Ghaunt laughs were full of hate and insanity, watching in glory his own malicious deed.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Tsubaki carefully studied her preoccupied captor. Her own weapons were still shoved under his belt, just out of reach. She closed her eyes and prayed for her plan to work.

"Finally! I'm going to be rid of all my problems once in for all!" Ghaunt gloated as he aimed his weapon again, this time right at Mariana's pale face. "Its been fun, Mary! But look at it this way: You'll soon be able to see all your friends who died at the asylum by the inmates hands!" His cackles grew louder and louder. This was his mistake.

Tsubaki reacted after he finished his rant. She used all her power on her legs, ramming her head into Ghaunt's own distracted mug. The blow was severe, with Ghaunt placing his clawed hand on his face and releasing his captive to do the same with the other. Amidst the confusion, Tsubaki reclaimed her weapons from Ghaunt's waist. The three behind were dumbstruck.

"Get him Tsubaki!" Noel and Makoto shouted unanimously. Mariana simply chuckled.

"WHAT?" Ghaunt growled, recovering from Tsubaki's attack. He swiped at her with serrated claws, to which she dodged accordingly. She shoved her shield into his face again, getting another growl from her opponent. Ghaunt raised his left arm ready to slug Tsubaki. He began to bring it down, but Tsubaki acted quick, changing her Izayoi into a chain whip and wrapping it around Ghaunt's metal arm. She pulled it back with great force, and with it, his arm. Ghaunt stood shocked, staring at the stump that was once his left arm. Green blood squirted out of the strange concoction of metal and bone. Tsubaki finished her violent attack with a kick to the chest, making a nice _TANG_ on Ghaunt's metal body. He roared in anger as he fell off the side of the building, getting sucked into the void under Kagutsuchi's harbor. Tsubaki looked over the edge, figuring out the villain's fate. She ran toward her friends without a second glance.

"You got him, Tsubaki!" Makoto cheered.

"We won't be seeing him anytime soon." Noel added.

Tsubaki smiled sheepishly. "Really, it was nothing." She made eye contact with the white haired girl on the ground. "Will you be OK?"

Mariana chuckled. "Me? Please, I'll be fine. Good work, Tsubaki." She coughed during her pause. "You did something I never thought I could accomplish…Thank you." With those words of encouragement, she passed out. Tsubaki nodded her head, then turned to Noel and Makoto.

"Lets get her to the nearest clinic. Come on."

The three carried her down off the building, hustling to their new task: Preserving their new friend's safety.

* * *

><p><em>One week later. NOL Intelligence Department.<em>

"Thank God the day is almost over."

The infamous green haired Captain Hazama propped his legs on his office desk as he reclined in his chair. It had been sometime sense he heard any report dealing with nightmares, green eyes or skulls, so he assumed the guy Relius had talked to him about was long gone. Or dead. Either or put a smile on Hazama's face. He didn't need another bozo running freely through his city screwing up the continuum shift.

A knock came from the door. Hazama sighed irritably. "Who is it?"

"Hazama, it's me. Let me in." A familiar voice came from the other side of the door. Hazama dusted off his hat and sat up. He pleasantly strolled through his office, taking his time.

"I heard a little bit of ruckus from down there, Relius. Did you see what was going on?" Hazama asked coolly.

No response. _Maybe he didn't here me. Whatever._ Hazama quickly ignored it. He reached for the doorknob of his office's entrance.

"So, how's it going with subject twelve-" Hazama began as he opened the door. A flying body interrupted his question, plowing into him and bringing him back to his desk. The captain looked at the unconscious body after rubbing the pain in his head. It was indeed the Puppeteer himself, but who had thrown him? Hazama looked back towards the door, answering his own query.

Standing in the doorway was a rather odd gangly fellow, his body made of metal and covered in bits of clothing here and there. Two long chains clanged as they hung from his torso. His left arm was missing and left unattended like the rotting wound it was, his other arm held a tightly clamped fist. The brim hat that laid upon his head did not hid his face this time, letting Hazama see the neon green eyes filled with rage.

"Well. Someone fell of the wrong side of the bed." Hazama sneered. He seemed to be good at being an asshole even in the middle of life threatening situations like this.

Ghaunt's iron boots rang out in the room as he made his way to Hazama, eyeing him savagely. He picked the captain up by the shirt collar and tossed him into the side wall of the office, flat out ignoring the unmoving Relius Clover. The impact on the wall caused a hole to form, but Hazama laid there snickering.

"Come on pal, what do you have against me? I haven't even seen you're ugly mug - HURK!"

Again, Hazama was interrupted by something. This time it was Ghaunt picking him up again and slamming him into the wall…again. The two locked eyes, murderous intent meeting malicious suaveness. Ghaunt began to speak.

"There! That's why. You humans are filth, plaguing this world with your disgusting presence!" The metal man hissed.

"Well technically I myself am not-" Hazama started but was unable to finish as a wall on the other side of the room had cut him off. "You know…this is getting tiresome. Can I at least complete one sentence - GAH!" The grip returned to his collar, but not before a swift kick to the stomach.

"You shut the FUCK up, and speak only when I LET you to, got that, Terumi?" Ghaunt roared, his eyes flaring.

"How…how do you know my name?" Hazama coughed.

"Oh, I know everything. The people in this city will reveal anything when you _twist_ their arms hard enough," Ghaunt motioned towards the limb body of Relius behind him. "He and his workers all squealed like little girls. Only difference being Relius is alive and…well, I assume YOU can figure out the rest."

Hazama would have laughed if he wasn't being threatened. But then he thought of something. "You know…a personality like yourself shouldn't be subjected to killing someone so alike you. We could work together, as equals!"

Ghaunt paused and let go of Hazama. "I'm listening."

"Together, we could rule Kagutsuchi, punish and enslave all those who have done us wrong. What do you say?" Hazama smiled. He couldn't believe this was working.

The gangly metal man turned and thought about the proposal, scratching his chin with his hand. What he didn't see was Hazama behind him swiftly taking out a switchblade-like knife and drawing closer to Ghaunt's back.

"You know…I would take you up on that offer…but we both know…" Ghaunt started as Hazama was about to strike. Before he could do so, he found chains wrapped around both his arms, rendering him useless. Ghaunt turned his head around just enough to eye his attacker and his gawking face. "…That you're just the Imperator's bitch!"

Ghaunt's chains chucked the suited man through the air and back on the other side of the room. Hazama felt lightheaded and coughed. He had no strength to spout out anything more that a chuckle. Slowly, Ghaunt strolled on up to Hazama's carcass and bent over. From his burlap pocket he unearthed a metal ball and shoved it into Hazama's hand, berating him as he did so.

"Here, take it. It's a gift, from one monster to another." His voice was low and disdainful. He stood up and exited the room, slamming the door and leaving the half dead captain to study the object he was given.

Ghaunt took his time as he walked through the halls of the NOL Intelligence building, knowing no one would oppose him. Smashed glass, pots filled with extravagant plants, and various other items and decorations covered the flow along with numerous employees and officers. Ghaunt ignored everyone and everything and just kept walking. He felt a grip on his leg and looked down in disgust. An officer bleeding from the shoulder struggled to stop the villain, his efforts in vain. Ghaunt growled and pulled out his decorated pistol and aimed it downward at the soldier.

"Such heroic nonsense…" The soldier collapsed after the shot.

Realizing something, Ghaunt pulled out two more of the metal spheres he kept and tossed them behind him. As he made his way towards the exit, he threw as many of the iron things as he could. They littered the ground, fitting in with the rest of the "litter" scattered about. Ghaunt left the building, walking down the numerous steps that lead to it. He did not pause as he pulled out another object from his clothing: a simple item indeed, with only one glaring red button. After reaching the bottom of the steps, he pressed the button and kept walking. Within the building, the iron balls he spread everywhere lit up simultaneously and ignited. The main office, the stairs, Hazama's room. Every room in the NOL building was engulfed by fire from their combined explosion. Ghaunt heard a mixture of things along with the detonation: Fire spreading, glass shattering, people screaming, and, finally, the building slowly collapsing. Dust was blown everywhere, but the masked man ignored it. He cared not for anything that happened now.

He never looked back, and never smiled.

* * *

><p><em>That night.<em>

Rumors quickly spread throughout Kagutsuchi about the NOL's Intelligence branch going up in smoke. People spoke in whispers, trying not to let anyone else know what they thought of the situation. Some believed it was the work of the "Grim Reaper," others thought it was some unknown terrorist group. Whatever people thought, the other NOL officials gave no opinion, barely speaking to anyone.

At a restaurant in the middle of the city, the three long-time friends sat outside with their recovered ally, talking and enjoying themselves despite recent events. Makoto gorged herself, only half listening to what Noel and Tsubaki were chatting about. Mariana had stayed quiet for most of the time, lost in her own thoughts. Tsubaki was the first to notice.

"Hey…Mariana. You alright? You haven't even touched your food." Tsubaki asked.

The pale girl turned. "Huh? Oh yes…I'm fine. I'm just not hungry, that's all."

"If you're not going to eat it, can I have it?" Makoto playfully interrupted.

"Makoto! Don't be so rude." Noel moaned, feeling the effects of shouting at her furry tailed friend for so long.

Mariana giggled. "It's alright. She can have it." She handed her plate to Makoto, who swiped it and began to devour it, with a sighing Noel to her side. Tsubaki kept persisting.

"So, Mariana, what are your plans now that G-"

A loud _dinging_ sound interrupted Tsubaki from finishing her question. The four looked up towards the buildings that made up the business section of the district. One of the large structures was outfitted with a large plasma screen, the origin of the odd sound.

"Oh! The late night news!" Noel stated cheerfully.

Sure enough, a woman came up on the screen, most likely the anchor of the news station. She smiled at the camera and began to speak.

"Hello, Kagutsuchi. It is eleven forty-five in our city tonight, but many of you folks are still up, so here we are to present the news."

"How cheesy is that?" Tsubaki criticized, but was quickly shushed by her friends. She sighed. "You two are hopeless."

The lady on the monitor went on. "It has been one week since any cases dealing with the so-called 'Killer in Kagutsuchi' have been reported. NOL officers have come to the conclusion that the man responsible has left the city, and that there is nothing to be afraid of."

"My ass…" Tsubaki heard Mariana mumble under her breath. "Huh? What do you think?"

Mariana sighed. "I don't know. I think I need to be alone for a moment. Excuse me, please." She began to sit up and walk away. Tsubaki watched in confusion along with Noel and Makoto. They all exchanged glances as their white haired friend walked away. Mariana didn't make it far when the news castor began again.

"On a less fortunate note, the NOL Intelligence Department was…burned…ground…no…knows…who could…done…terrible crime."

Static began to devour the news cast, making the announcer sound like a blabbing idiot. Mariana stopped and turned to face the television screen, her eyes narrowing.

"What's up with that?" Makoto asked what everyone was thinking.

The screen began to flicker from the news cast to static, the back to the news, then static. Between the switching another image flashed: a lone figure shrouded in darkness. It went on for quite sometime before the static totally enveloped the first broadcast, giving way to the second. A sinister cackle rang out through the speakers, filling everyone's ears. Mariana and the other's eyes widened in fear. People around them began to feel the same fear.

The figure in the dark spoke coarsely. "People of Kagutsuchi! Do not believe what those fools tell you. Your 'precious' NOL lies to you to keep you all safe. I am still in your city, and I laugh everyday at your city's pitiful military agency." Again, the hysterics. They were low, but the speakers projected them in their entirety.

He continued. "But, I do believe that if I am going to lecture you people, I'm going to let you see me in my full being." The figure stepped out of the dark, revealing his metal covered body. Some people gasped, others stood in silence. "Well, not my entire being." Ghaunt showed off the stump that was once his left arm, still left un-bandaged. "I will give your city credit: It is the first to damage me this badly, and I commend you for that. I would clap but…" He chuckled at his own joke.

Mariana cursed and ran off, hell bent on finding the killer on the screen. Tsubaki's eyes were glued to the television, as were Noel and Makoto's.

"Now that you see me as I am, I, Ghaunt the…what the hell did the bitch on the other channel just call me…oh, the 'Killer of Kagutsuchi' have come before you to deliver my final message." He coughed into his hand, the wounds from his earlier battle slowly wearing away his condition. "You humans…you think you have it so bad. You have a family, friends, a home…someone to love. Look at me…I was not offered such luxuries, and here I am. A murderer, a killer, a liar, alone. And you don't see ME complaining." Another cough. "In my time within your city's walls, I have seen things that me and my fellow inmates would find pathetic. Humans are barbaric, uncaring, naïve creatures. You want nothing more than to improve your own sickening lives."

* * *

><p>From beneath the city, a black creature arises and watches the speaker on a television that somehow functioned even in the nasty sewers. Oddly enough, he was the only one who truly connected with the skull masked character on the television.<p>

"Gupupu…"

* * *

><p>In Orient Town, several people have been watching the scene on a similar screen. From a familiar clinic, three individuals were among the many who were watching the man on the screen rant.<p>

"What do you think his problem is, Ms. Litchi?" Linhua asked.

Litchi sighed. "Some people in this city…are just like that. I don't have a straight answer for him. He's probably just insane."

"Oh! Oh! I know that guy!" Taokaka piped up from behind the two of them. Litchi turned in surprise.

"Tao? You know him?"

"Oh yeah! He's the scary skull guy. He was in my nightmare with scruffy man!"

Litchi and Linhua exchanged glances as Tao playfully rolled around, only half listening to them and the "skull guy" on the screen, who had begun his speech again.

* * *

><p>"You know, I came to your city at first for the sole reason of sport, to test my powers on you insects," Ghaunt waved his fingers around as if to mock the citizens. "But after my first victims, I found one person who had something that intrigued me. This brings me to my final point…"<p>

Another cough. Back at the restaurant, Tsubaki shut her eyes. She knew the reason behind this broadcast. _He's doing this because of me._

"I wanted to make amends to my broken mind…try to find the one last hope in my life so I can rest in peace…" He paused and closed his eyes. The people who watched were struck by fear and anticipation, waiting for what the madman had to say next. When he opened his eyes, Ghaunt's expression was that of hate. "But your city DENIED me even that right! Let me rot in my despair, like this wound!" He showed his stub-for-an-arm again, looking like he was going to break out of the screen. With blind rage, he tore off his hat and mask, revealing the skull that lies within him. Many of the same people gasped from before, not realizing there was another layer behind the madness.

"Get a good look, Kagutsuchi! Because I am Ghaunt, your city's downfall, your city's TRUE boogeyman." He growled as he pulled out a small item, again, with only one button. Before slamming on the button with his free hand, he roared one last sentence.

"I am your nightmare, Kagutsuchi!"

After crushing the button, the screen went dark. Then, immediately after, the screen erupted into a green fire, releasing a similar sickly green gas. The force of the explosion brought Tsubaki and her friends to the ground, as well as many others around them. Tsubaki could hear more and more detonations in the distance. From Orient Town to Ronin-Gai, bombs exploded releasing the gas, spreading over Kagutsuchi like a flood, covering everyone and everything.

At an abandoned church in the poor side of the city, the doors swung open to reveal the city's marauder. He walked down the holy building's steps and made his way toward the city. Unaffected by the gas, he viewed his handiwork. The gas had spread quickly in such a short time, and with the help from the leftover equipment he stole from Sector Seven, the bombs he crafted made the effects of the toxin even more potent. Everywhere he turned, men and women alike struggled to even walk as their greatest fears came alive before their eyes. Ghaunt watched them all: Spiders, heights, torture, claustrophobia, death. Every imaginable fear possible was present, but the masked man cared not. He simply walked forward passing every poor soul he came across. He stopped after awhile, and turned back around, watching the city from his new location. He didn't know where he was, but did he could care less.

Ghaunt slowly pulled off his mask again, knowing no one would look at him or oppose him. He threw the thing on the ground and stamped on it with his metal boot. He kicked it before crouching down, exhausted. From his pocket he removed the photo, the infamous photo, and stared at it without the mask muffling his vision.

"Oh, Elena…I'm so sorry…"

And so he sat on the ground, staring at the photo, never to be interrupted by anyone. Eventually, he fell back, tired. He shot his inhuman eyes and wept. His quiet cries would never be heard, the sounds of others screaming and crying drowning out his own sorrow.

_END_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Had this ending stuck in my head for a while now, now I get to let you readers…um…read it. Yeah. **

**So, yes, this is Ghaunt's "Bad Ending" to his tale. I have to admit, I thought it would be a lot more fun to write this ending. It actually turned out a little out of the way I wanted it to. I guess that's what happens when you write with your mind and not with a rough draft. (Did that come out?)**

**This chapter was actually inspired by three different scenes: Cad Bane's invasion on the Senate in Star Wars, the fear gas reaction in Batman Begins, and a scene from the anime Code Geass where Lelouch gives a speech on a monitor. Also, try to find the reference in Ghaunt's dialogue, which is from one of my favorite animated films of all time.**

**Go ahead and review if you like. Tell me what I could improve, or what you like about the fic. I enjoy reading any positive feedback, especially about my OC's. **

**Thanks for reading, and, if you haven't already, check out the "True Ending" to Ghaunt's story, as well as the goofy Gag Reel I have lined up. **

**Merry Christmas! / Happy Holidays!**


	16. GR: Insanity

Blazblue, and anything in it, or associated with it, is owned by Ark System Works. I don't own a thing, except Ghaunt and Mariana.

**A/N: The events in this chapter occur after Ragna's nightmare, but before Carl and Noel's.**

Gag Reel: Insanity

Ghaunt looked around at his surroundings, surveying the location. His new home was a decrepit church, abandoned by the rich and left for dogs of the city. He himself thought the holy place was in good shape, or as good as it could possibly, seeing as he had spent many decades in an asylum. Some windows had been broken and boarded up, the electricity long gone. The main - and only - light that illuminated the whole building was the shine from the moon overhead, which Ghaunt felt an odd comfort with.

One of the chains that hung from his chest came alive and held something to his face. Ghaunt looked at the paper boringly before swiping it from his "pet." He read the list of names that he was able to scrounge up from around the city, and from that Relius fellow. Ghaunt broke off a piece of wood from his makeshift throne and crossed off the name at the top of the list, which read _RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE_.

"Though…I think I could have had more fun with him," He murmured to his animated metal friends, which had been waving around for some reason. "Do you thirst for something?"

Of course, he was not expecting a vocal response. The chains merely floated and pointed in a direction. "Well…I've got some time before the next lucky contender. Very well. You lead, I'll follow."

Ghaunt rose from his seat and began to walk out the church. His boots _clanging_ echoed throughout the abandoned building. At the exit, his minions took hold of his raggedy trench coat before hiding themselves under it. They wrapped along his metal frame as he himself dressed up for his night on the town. The oversized coat hid everything except his shoes and masked face, which was already hard to see thanks to his hat. Ghaunt stole one last glance at his lovely new home before letting his chains direct him into the city.

* * *

><p>Luckily for Ghaunt, he encountered no one too curious to wonder why someone so clothed was wondering around Kagutsuchi this late at night. A devilish smile formed at the thought of the poor soul who decided to challenge that claim. From the cruddy ruins of the city, Ghaunt had made his way to the town he learned called Orient Town. It wasn't half bad for his tastes, even though he heard this was the poorer part of the city.<p>

"You know…if I wasn't a wanted inmate, I might settle down here." Ghaunt spoke to himself. He felt a rumbling on his metal frame, the chains moving to as if to disagree with him. "Oh what do you know?"

He kept walking, viewing the shops and gorgeous lights that hung above him. The whole tour felt surreal, seeing as the only lights he was used to was the dim ones at the madhouse. Ghaunt watched as two children ran past him holding sparklers, enjoying their night. At this he frowned, remembering something from the past.

"If only…" He sighed. He began his trek again, but was stopped when he heard an ear-piercing noise from behind him. Ghaunt turned just in time to take the blunt of someone running into him. More like tackle him from above. The unknown person collapsed onto him, which mad Ghaunt feel incredibly awkward when he felt her breasts on his figure.

"Oops! Sorry mister, are you alright?" The girl's voice rang out in Ghaunt's ears…or whatever surfaced as ears, being as his head was nothing more then a skull. Of course, no one knew about that yet.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. You only tackled me, brought me to the ground and nearly broke something. I'm just fantastic." Ghaunt sarcastically replied as dusted himself off.

"Hey! Tao doesn't like that tone of voice mister is using." Taokaka retorted, unhappy with the man's reply.

"So…you're name is…Tao?" Ghaunt asked. _Weird ass name._

"Yeah! I'm Tao, Taokaka!" The cat-girl happily cried out.

"Interesting…" Ghaunt mumbled under his breath. He slowly began to take out one of his iron spheres, thinking of the fun he could have with this spastic girl. Before he could even pull the ball out, another voice shouted out behind Tao. "God…now what?" Ghaunt hissed.

A man ran up next to the unlikely pair, huffing and puffing from exhaustion. Ghaunt rose an eyebrow…again, the equivalent of doing so with his face. The man's hair was long and bushy, kind of like that Ragna fellow from a day ago. He wore the strangest get-up Ghaunt had ever seen: Baggy green pants matched his shirt - Ghaunt assumed it was a shirt, seeing as it was cut in half, revealing the man's abs - as a huge red scarf flowed behind him. Strangest of all, the man had a larger-than-life nail on his back, making Ghaunt hesitant of both his power and sanity.

"T-Tao, you mustn't run so fast, I could barely keep up with you that time!" The man huffed.

"Oh, sorry Scruffy Man! I'll go easier on you next time!" Tao cheerfully smiled.

The man dubbed 'Scruffy Man' finally took notice of the heavily clothed figure next to Tao. "Uh, Tao. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend here?"

_Friend? _Ghaunt spoke out first. "I'm…er…David. I'm new and town and I just happened to bump into your friend here while you two were racing, I assume. And you are?"

The man heroically struck a pose. "I, my good friend, am the defender of love and justice! I am the punisher of evil doers! I am Kagutsuchi's vigilante and protector, Bang Shishigami!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

As Bang triumphantly stood, enjoying the moment, Ghaunt stared at him in wonder and fascination. _Oh boy…he's gonna be one of _those _guys, huh?_

Ghaunt shook his head. "Well, I am no vigilante, but I am a shop owner, so I came to Kagutsuchi to see if anyone would like to try my products. Maybe you two would like to be the first customers?" _Stupid, you're wearing a trench coat and hiding your face! No way in hell are they that-_

"Sure, why not! What do you say, Scruffy Man?"

"I too shall accept your offer!"

_-stupid._

"Erm. OK, but my products work best in the extreme darkness. So, let's try it in that alleyway over their." Ghaunt motioned towards a nearby crevice away from people and lights. The two unsuspecting pals nodded and followed the "entrepreneur" into the dark alleyway. Once away from all the commotion of Orient Town, Ghaunt pulled out his iron sphere. Tao made an 'ooooooing' sound at the sight of the object, with Bang stroking his chin.

"What is it?" Bang inquired.

"Here! Find out for yourself!" Ghaunt delightfully screeched as he threw the metallic ball on the ground next to them, igniting immediately and spreading an alien gas around the two vigilantes. He laughed as Tao fell first, hitting the ground like a ton of bricks. Bang struggled against it for a moment, coughing up a storm, before following in Tao's footsteps. Ghaunt's heinous laugh was the last thing either one of them heard.

* * *

><p>Bang awoke, his head throbbing. He moaned to himself. "What…what just happened?"<p>

He struggled once more, this time to get up, his feet responding very slowly. Once standing, Bang looked around, scanning the area. Just black: Black ground, black sky, even though he could see himself. Bang started to walk around, trying to find anything, anyone.

"Hello! Is anyone around here? Anyone!" Bang shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth, projecting his voice and making it louder than usual.

In a distance, Bang heard a voice. A familiar voice. He ran towards it with all his might, the location he was at seeming to stretch for miles. After five minutes or so, the ninja found the source of the noise: Tao, shouting into the distressed face of a man sitting on a throne made of bones. The man had his clawed hand on his face, the effects of listening to the cat-girl obvious. Bang stabbed a finger at the skull masked figure.

"You! In the chair!" The ninja shouted at the man, who quickly noticed his presence. He arose from his seat quickly and waved his hand, to which an unknown force brought Bang closer to him and his bone constructed seat. The man's eyes of green looked as though they were going to pop of the mask that shrouded his face.

"You…Bang, right?" He sounded very upset, despite his cool demeanor from earlier. "You're friends with this girl right? Make her stop constantly yelling into my ears!"

"I don't know…maybe I should let her go on, seeing as you tricked us into this strange realm." Bang folded his arms, deducing that the man that stood before him in metal was indeed David from earlier.

"No…please, Mr. Shishigami! You don't understand! She keeps talking, and talking, and talking! Talking about things like food, and my face, calling me 'Skull guy,' and some woman named 'Boobie lady'!" Ghaunt sounded especially skeptical about the last thing he said. Bang looked over the metal man's shoulder to find Tao, waving at him from the left side of the throne. The ninja looked back at Ghaunt.

"Fine, but only if you promise to give me answers, villain."

"DEAL!" Ghaunt snapped his fingers, triggering the world of dark to transform into some sort of castle throne room. Bang blinked, finding everything had been changed: He and Tao now sat at a table chock full of food, with Ghaunt sitting in front of them on his throne. Ghaunt breathed in and out for some time, recollecting his posture before speaking.

"Please…ask away." Bang could feel the acidic touch of his host's tongue.

"Well, first I believe you should tell us who you really are, and how you are able to manipulate this world we are in."

"But of course. I am Ghaunt," He took off his hat and gave a tiny bow. "And let's just say I've honed my abilities to create worlds such as these."

Ghaunt snapped his fingers multiple times, giving a pause after each one. The scene changed from the castle room to outside Ronin-Gai, then to a desert, then to some hellish place filled with fire. Tao was to busy munching on treats to notice anything, nor was she listening. Bang nodded his head.

"I see. Then, why are you here? If you were going to kill us-"

"-I would have already done it. I get that a lot," Ghaunt finished, snapping his fingers a final time, returning the three back to the dark void area. "I really am just playing with you right now. My chains thirsted for action before we hit up are next victim." The metal snakes moved around, signaling their presence. He sighed and rubbed his head.

Bang noticed this pause. "Does something trouble you, metal man?"

Tao piped up as well. "Yeah! Skull guy, you may be scary, but you look really stressed."

Ghaunt eyed the two viciously. "What business is it of yours? Aren't vigilantes supposed to watch villains like me suffer?"

Tao and Bang exchanged glances. "What? No. We here at Kagutsuchi are honorable heroes, capturing evil for the good of the city, and not just for ourselves." Bang stated.

The green eyed man reclined in his chair. "Really now? Well…If you must know, my mind is plagued with-"

"Ah! I see it already!" Bang had somehow made his way up to Ghaunt without the gangly host knowing he was there, making him jump in his chair.

"How the hell did you…"

"Your suffering is related to a woman, is it not?" Bang concluded.

"How can you possibly know that?"

The ninja laughed heartily. "I AM the warrior that fights for love, among other things. I can see it in your…eyes." Bang became hesitant as he finished, never truly meeting another with neon green eyes.

Ghaunt gave him a cold stare and sighed. "Fine. Yes, my mind is indeed on the thought of a woman. She was from a long, long time ago. I guess you could have called her-"

"The love of your life?" It was Bang's turn to finish. Even though his face was hidden behind a mask, the ninja could feel his host blushing.

"Y-yes…I guess." Ghaunt uncharacteristically stuttered, something he never had done before. _This city really IS screwing me up._ He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, to which he looked up.

"It is OK, my friend. I too have loved a woman for a long time, but have never truly came close to letting her know my true feelings." Bang began. "You see, love is like mysterious person one sees at a market or a fair. We can see them there, but-"

"Hey! Skull guy! You got any more food?" Both Ghaunt and Bang jumped at the interruption. They looked to find a rather plump Taokaka, picking her teeth with one of her extendable claws. Ghaunt rubbed his temples, then waved his hand. More food appeared at the table, to which the cat-girl licked her lips and dived into. Ghaunt turned his attention back to Bang. "Proceed."

"Well, er, you see. What I'm getting at is that love is…uh…love is a difficult concept to define, even though we know it exists." Bang stalled.

Ghaunt stared at him, annoyed by the vague answer. "Then why do you fight for it?"

Bang froze. No one had ever asked such a question before. "Uh…probably for the same reason you do what you do! Whatever it is that you do…"

"So…your saying you fight for love because you want to watch every one of your enemies suffer at your hands, watch them burn before your power, your might?" Ghaunt saw through the scruffy man's bluff. "Something tells me you and I don't have the same motives…"

"Now wait a minute! What is it that you do?"

Bang did not like the chuckle that came next. "This."

With a wave of the hand, Ghaunt made the food in front of Tao disappear. "Hey!" Came the immediate response. Ghaunt flicked his wrist a tad, to which the table that had once held food began to shake and rumble, scaring Tao right out of her chair. The table twisted and contorted into some indefinable shape before transforming into a rather unsettling creature: A huge centipede. It sprouted thousands of legs, its great head fitted with huge blood red eyes. It screeched as it began to chase the cat-girl, who had already started to run. Ghaunt laughed manically as Bang stood helpless.

"Stop this, right now!" Bang shouted.

"Oh, but I thought you wanted to see what I do!" Ghaunt calmed down a bit, but still chuckled. "This is a little pet I thought up when reading up on one of my future victims. Maybe you know her, one Noel Vermillion?"

"Ms. Vermillion! What are you going to do with her, monster!" Bang wanted to punch the madman, but he couldn't move an inch.

"Oh…what I do to her should be the least of your worries, Mr. Shishigami." Ghaunt sneered as he pulled out his signature pistol and aimed it right at Bang's head. "Ironic, isn't it? The legendary ninja Bang is bested because his own clumsy blunder. Maybe I'll write a book when I leave Kagutsuchi. Call it, "1001 Ways to Trick an Idiot!"

Ghaunt's laughter was interrupted as Tao ran and jumped on his head, immediately snatching Bang and bounding off away from the masked man's view. He angrily looked at them and growled, then turned around to meet his new "pet" plow right into him and his chair, which exploded upon impact. Skulls and bones flew everywhere as Ghaunt felt the grey centipede's body crush him, knocking the wind right out of him. He struggled to get his hand up, snapping his fingers again to which the gigantic creature disappeared into nothing more than dust.

"God damn it…" The metal man moaned as he himself disappeared, only to reappear right in front of the two vigilantes, whom jumped, thinking they were safe from Ghaunt's grasp. He grabbed the two of them by the throats, strangling them.

"You two…are probably the most annoying people I have ever met in my entire life!" Ghaunt growled. He stared to his right, where a large cage magically formed out of thin air. Its door swung open, letting Ghaunt threw the helpless Taokaka into it. She banged her head upon entry, quickly passing out.

"No! Stop, you fiend!" Bang pleaded as he reached for Ghaunt's face. He somehow got a hold of it, but slipped when he pulled back, ending up with a mask in his hand. Ghaunt stared viciously, his true form exposed. "Oh, you have no idea."

A portal formed to the left, showing Orient Town. Or, more specifically for Bang, the entrance to a familiar looking clinic. Ghaunt shook the ninja. "Not only have you annoyed me, but you have also made me late for my appointment with one Carl Clover!"

"Master Carl! You wouldn't dare go after such a young boy!" Bang protested.

"Well, the way you put it, yeah, I wouldn't. But…I am anyway!" Ghaunt scoffed as he kicked Bang's bulky body through the portal, laughing the whole time. The last thing Bang saw was Tao asleep in her cage before a white light enveloped his vision, blinding him.

* * *

><p>It was daylight outside, now. People were roaming the streets freely, their day to day jobs and tasks on their minds. At Orient Town, Ms. Litchi was about to leave her assistant to run an errand, against her pupils wishes.<p>

"Oh come on, Ms. Litchi! I can do this one tiny thing for you. You don't have to stress yourself." Linhua pleaded.

The good doctor shook her head. "This is a personal task, Linhua. I need to do it myself. I'll only be gone for a while, all you have to do is watch the new patient we found in the alley." Litchi motioned her hand towards the sleeping Tao. "Weird we found her in the middle of the alley the other day. She must have fallen asleep."

Linhua nodded. "Well, OK. I'll stay here and watch her, doctor. Just be back soon."

Litchi nodded back and opened the front door, ready to leave. However, before she could do so, something barged into the clinic with such force it created a hole in the wall it ran into. Litchi and Linhua exchanged surprised glances as they looked over the body of Bang Shishigami, who soon fell unconscious before being able to utter a word.

* * *

><p>Alone with himself, Ghaunt moaned and rubbed his head. The chains around him nudged him, as if to say 'We're sorry.' Ghaunt scowled at the twin metal snakes.<p>

"No more ideas from either of you. Ever. Again."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Now this was fun! I kind of lost track but whatever, that's for me to worry about, you guys just enjoy Ghaunt yelling at Tao and Bang! **

**Not much to say about this one except its not really supposed to be taken seriously. Kinda like when it happens in the game!**

**Special shout-out to Cardlover95, who wanted to see Ghaunt go toe-to-toe with Bang for sometime now. Merry Christmas dude!**

**And Merry Christmas for everyone reading! Or Happy Holidays, you know the drill. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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